PHEASANT-SHOOTma. 789 



this I have seen numberless instances, and it is astonisliing 

 how quickly the vision is cleared, when an error is sure to 

 cost a guinea. An Italian prince was, by a much esteemed 

 friend of mine, requested to be shown a day's pheasant- 

 shooting : it was hinted to the prince's companion, that the 

 hen pheasants were not to be molested. However, the prince 

 fired away at all the pheasants that presented themselves, and 

 with great success at the unfortunate females ; of course, no 

 penalty could be exacted from a foreign gentleman, and the 

 only satisfaction was, that his highness, in the keenness of 

 his pursuit, left the greater part of his breeches and stockings 

 (which were both silk) in the coverts, and was obliged to be 

 bandaged up with handkerchiefs, with his legs and thighs in 

 a very lacerated state, to make even a decent appearance !" 



Should the woods be very extensive, when steady from 

 hares, the cockers and springing spaniels cannot well be too 

 numerous, but if given to hunt hares, they disturb the phea- 

 sants, who merely fly up and perch upon the low boughs, 

 and the ground of the covert is in vain traversed and beat 

 for birds, that are already some yards above it. In short, a 

 springer that follows a hare further than whilst in view, is 

 never worth keeping. Other circumstances to be minded, are, 

 that when a springer is once put into a covert he is never to 

 quit it to range in the fields, which some slippery ones will 

 do, whilst their owners are beating within it. An indispen- 

 sable qualification in a cocker or springer is to know their 

 names, and come when they are called. When a springer 

 owns a haunt, and quests freely, there should be no disap- 

 pointment. Whenever the notes are doubled, their master 

 should be certain there is game, and accordingly press for- 

 ward : much depends upon the practice which springers 

 have ; the constant use and the killing of game to them 

 is as essential to the steadiness of a high-mettled springer, as 



