THE VSE OF DOGS. 301 



to liavo a retriever. I have, in bad-scenting clays, 

 seen the retriever fail to find dead game, eagerly 

 watched as he always was by those two setters, 

 while they sat down for the loading of the gun. 

 If the retriever returned without his bird, of what- 

 ever sort it might be, both those bright-eyed, 

 intelligent faces were turned at once on me to ask 

 permission to go and do tchat the retriever had 

 failed to do; and Avhen they got the word their 

 j)roud delight was obvious I — the retriever accom- 

 panying them, to bring back whatever they found, 

 without the slightest opposition from them. They 

 would then all three return together. 



One day neither my retriever nor myself could 

 make out what had become of Quail. The three 

 were sent after a jack snipe, but Quail remained 

 absent, and no whistle from the lip could bring her 

 to me. The fact occurred in very rough alder- 

 growth, bog myrtle, and swampy ground, not lur 

 from the Holmsley Station on the South- Western 

 Eailway. 



At last I began to fear some accident, or that 

 Quail was caught in a thieving snare, so I com- 

 menced a search in every hole and corner, and 

 then I found old Quail panting with pleasure at 



