158 SHOOTING THE PARTRIDGE 



leaves a head-keeper no time for the breaking of dogs, 

 still less for the instruction of his subordinates in such 

 an art. We have advanced in this as in other things, 

 and must pay a penalty for our progress. We have 

 more knowledge, more game, better management and 

 better shooting, but incomparably worse dogs. 



I can only offer one suggestion to remedy this 

 state of things, which occurs to me irresistibly when 

 ever I am lucky enough to stay with men who can 

 afford to do their shooting on a handsome scale, and 

 I believe it would pay even those who cannot afford 

 in any way to add to their expenses. This is to employ 

 a man call him dog-man, under-keeper, or what you 

 will, which merely means that he would be under the 

 authority of the head-keeper who should devote 

 himself entirely to the breaking of your dogs, and on 

 shooting days to attendance on the guns and retriev- 

 ing the game. Of course, I am now more particu- 

 larly speaking of England and partridge-shooting, for 

 the same class of man, though devoted entirely to 

 pointers and setters, is to be found on many well- 

 ordered estates in Scotland. 



It is really lamentable to any one who has ex- 

 perience of shooting by the side of well-broken and 

 well-handled retrievers, to see the modern under- 

 keeper, with very limited knowledge of working birds, 



