MY OLD DOG TRIM. 83 



ever see, and be was therefore not going to lose sight of it, 

 but finding that the " woods were full of them" he thought 

 that I had better carry it. These were the first ruffed grouse 

 that he had seen and I made up my mind that, although he 

 loved them so well, he would prove their deadly foe— a 

 prediction, I am happy to say, that was abundantly verified 

 on many occasions in after years. They were emphatically 

 his game, and although he was a remarkable quail and wood- 

 cock dog, and appeared to take great delight in their pursuit 

 their was not that earnestness, that high and lofty style that 

 took possession of him as soon as he struck the scent of hi3 

 favorites. A very enthusiastic friend, who shot with me a 

 great deal, used to say that if I would bring him a single 

 hair, plucked from Trim when he was on a point, that he 

 could tell me what bird was before him. 



There was an incident connected with this day's hunt that 

 made a deep and lasting impression upon both of us ; it was 

 an exhibition of intelligence such as we had never witnessed 

 before. Upon our return we passed through the alder run, 

 and, on account of better walking, kept on the bank of the 

 ditch, with Trim close at heel ; when we arrived at the place 

 where he fe ] l in, he stepped in front and looking up at us, 

 with a waggish expression in his eye and a positive grin on 

 his face, appeared to enjoy the remembrance of his mishap 

 of the morning; we both laughed heartily, and I am sure 

 that the d )g was laughing too. I am well aware that any- 

 thing of this kind, when put on paper, loses a very large por- 

 tion of its most interesting features ; it is utterly impossible 

 to depict the eloquent expression of his eye, or the significant 

 wag of his tail; the performances must have been seen to 

 be fully appreciated. 



Trim's reasoning faculties were of a high order, and 1 

 could give you hundreds of instances similar to the above, 

 but for fear of being too prolix I will forbear ; this being the 

 first time that he had displayed this wonderful faculty, it 

 st r uck us as being something remarkable. The day was a 

 glorious revelation to me ; I caught a glimpse of some of the 

 possibilities of ruffed grouse hunting ; hitherto I had hunted 



