UPLAND SHOOTING. 183 



birds, — by your setter getting into the way of dashing into the 

 midst of scattered bevies, and flushing them all, one by one, 

 while you are standing with your unloaded gun in your hand, 

 roaring down-charge, and uttering, if you are a little quick- 

 tempered, all sorts of imprecations against your poor dog, 

 which, if at all just, you would fulminate against yourself. No 

 thing is more annoying to me, than to be joined by some coun- 

 try gunner in the field, who, utterly unconscious of wrong, per- 

 sists in doing things which make your own hair stand on end. 

 and compels you to flog the unhappy quadrupeds for the faults 

 of the stupid biped. 



While speaking on this subject, I will quote an obsen'ation 

 ^^•lli^•ll I met with the other day, in a capital book, by a right 

 good sportsman, entitled — the book, not the man — " The Moor 

 and the Loch." The truth and force of the remark struck me 

 the moment I read it ; and, although it is not new to the accom 

 plished sportsman, or old dog-breaker, I think I have never seen 

 it in print before ; and I am sure I have seen the fault it repre- 

 hends committed a hundred times. 



The writer is speaking of " the inveterate habit, contracted 

 through bad breaking, of running in when the bird drops. This 

 trick is acquired from the breaker's carelessness, in not always 

 making the dog fall down when birds rise, a mle which should 

 never be neglected, on any pretence." Mr. Colquhoun here 

 means, that the dog should be taught to charge, on the- bird ris- 

 ing, whether shot at, or not ; and unquestionably he is right in 

 the matter. " The steadiness of a dog," he proceeds, "whether 

 old or young, depend,^ entirely upon its leing rigidly observed. I 

 ' have seen dogs most unmercifully flogged, and yet bolt with the 

 same eagerness every shot. It is easy to see the reason ; the 

 dog was followed by the keeper endeavoring to make him 

 ' down' ; there was thus a race between them, which should first 

 reach the fallen bird. The plan to adopt with a dog of this de- 

 scription, is when the Grouse," or other game, " drops, and the 

 dog rushes fonvard, never to stir, — coolly allow him to tear 

 away at the game uutil you have loaded ; by which time he 



