UPLAND SHOOTING. 359 



If hunted with knowing old dogs, puppies will soon come to 

 depend on them entirely ; will follow them, and watch their 

 every motion, and never learning to beat their own ground, or 

 fin-:l their own game, will content themselves with backing, in- 

 stead of pointing, and will become timid, and ultimately useless. 



Hunting puppies, on the contrary, together, will tend to make 

 them all wild and rash, and to induce their mutually learning 

 the faults of all. 



On the whole, therefore, it is the better way to hunt young 

 dogs singly during their first season, killing as many birds over 

 them as possible ; and, at the beginning of the second year, re- 

 membering that brace-hunting is the proper sphere of Pointers, 

 or Setters, to introduce them to mates of their own ages, and 

 thenceforth always to hunt, and, as much as you can, feed the 

 same braces together. One brace of dogs, accustomed so to live 

 and beat together, will do better work a-field, than three dogs 

 of equal qualities, all working each " on his own hook." 



So much for the rules of dog breaking ! 



With regard to practice and management in the field, there is 

 little or nothing to be said, beyond what I have already laid 

 down, pass i?n, under the heads of the various kinds of Upland 

 shooting. 



Dogs should not be harassed by too many, and never by con- 

 trary, orders. No fault should ever be passed over in silence, 

 and very few will be committed. Punishment should be in- 

 flicted as rarely as possible, but when it is inflicted, it should be 

 done thoroughly and severely. 



Never holloa at a dog — never run aft;er a dog, but either make 

 him come back to you, or bide your time till he becomes tired 

 and returns of his own accord, then punish for the double event 



When you enter a field, or covert, which you propose to beat, 

 bid your dogs " hold up," and waive them right and left. Turn 

 them by a whistle, and waive them hither or thither. Wlien 

 they strike a bevy of Quail, or other game, never hurry after 

 them, but make them go slow by the word " steady." If they 

 are rash, be you deliberate. If you hurry on, you best encou- 



