UPLAND SHOOTING. 337 



It will be found an excellent plan to feed all the dogs, if se- 

 veral, at once, from one long common trough, into which the 

 food should be poured, in regular order, and the dogs then called 

 out one by one, by name, from their houses, to which ihey 

 should previously be compelled o retire, and none suffered to 

 approach undl so summoned. The feeder shou d stand over 

 them, while feeding, with a switch, and .he firs growl, or indi- 

 cation of an attempt to quarre , should be punished with a smart 

 cut ; any voracity, in like manner, can be checked or mode- 

 rated by a word ; and it" any dog ea so ravenously, as to gel 

 more than his share, he must be quietly, but firmly, called off, 

 and ordered to his own kennel. By this method, order, regu- 

 larity, and obedience, will be greatly increased in the kennel; 

 and, what is of more importance, the general good humor and 

 good understanding of the dogs will be greatly promoted, so 

 that if. Hi may often become necessary, as, for instance, in tra- 

 velling on board steamboats, or in other places where accom- 

 modation is difficult and scanty, you should be compelled to feed 

 your dogs out of one vessel, they will eat together cheerfully 

 and agreeably, and lie down to get their rest as good friends, 

 instead of fighting a pitched batt'e over the plate, and growling 

 at one another all night long, instead of going peaceably to 

 sleep. 



Attention to litt e matters of this kind is of great real impor- 

 tance. A fight between a brace of dogs, may deprive the owner 

 of the ser\-ices of one, or both, for half a dozen consecutive days ; 

 and so destroy the sport of a week, on which he has counted, 

 and for which he has, perhaps, incurred considerable trouble 

 and expense. Even the loss of a nights rest will render dogs 

 peevish, deprive them of their noses, and make them dull and 

 listless during half a day. The subject of feeding is of great 

 importance, and of it I shall treat somewhat at length, after ob- 

 serving that frequent washing and bathing is of exceeding bene- 

 fit to dogs in fine weather, when they have suitable conve- 

 niences for drying themselves. After a swim, or a hard day's 

 shooting in snuw, or hi marshes, a good wheaten straw bed is the 



