REASON IN TlIK DOG. 277 



with his teeth, as was his habit Avhcu he did not 

 like a thing, and returned with an odd '' sheepish" 

 look to my heels. The fact was, a lot of liand- 

 reared young pheasants had been down from the hill 

 that bounded the lawn, where they had been kept 

 with their coops, for the lirst time, and there 

 might have been from twenty to thirty Avlien I 

 sent Wolf in to drive out the rabbit in the bed 

 of shrubs. From the time these birds were hatched, 

 Wolf had lain by my gun resting on a coop, and 

 seen me feed them, and the care I took that neither 

 AVolf nor myself should approach them incautiously. 

 It Avas from this that he reasonably came to com- 

 prehend that these young birds Avere on no account 

 to be disturbed, and hence his refusal to go among 

 them after the rabbit. It was this same dog who, 

 while Ave shot the belt of hrs at Teffont, remem- 

 bered a Avounded pheasant that floAV back, but for 

 which he Avas forbidden to go, because he Avas more 

 immediately Avantcd. When Ave came to the end 

 next the village, and Avere counting our bag, many 

 of which Wolf had picked up after having seen the 

 wounded bird go back, I missed Wolf, Avlien, on 

 asking if anybody kncAV Avliere he Avas, old Barnes, 

 my keeper, said he had gone back to the further 



