84 MY OLD BOG TRIM. 



them, as almost every one does, in a haphazard manner, 

 thanking the gods when I was lucky enough to bag one, and 

 was not very particular how it was done, provided I got it. 

 I liked the birds well enough but had always looked upon 

 them as too wild and cunning for me, and had never spent 

 much time upon them, devoting nearly all my time to wood- 

 cock and quails ; but this day's sport had convinced me that 

 there was a wealth of genuine, soul-satisfying sport in their 

 pursuit that I had not dreamed of, and that no more royal 

 game bird graced our forests, an opinion that has been 

 strengthened year by year, and to-day I had rather take a 

 good dog and follow up some old, wary cock grouse, even if 

 I do not get him, than to bag a dozen woodcock or quails. 

 Excuse this digression, as I am a little daft on the grouse 

 question, and when I get a going do not know when to stop. 

 There was one more revelation connected with this day that 

 I caught a faint glimpse of that I must mention. I thought 

 that I knew about all there was to be known about hunting, 

 but before night I had the faintest suspicion of the fac!; that 

 the dog knew more than I did about some things, and I had 

 hunted but a few d3ys with him before every doubt up^n the 

 subject was removed, and, ever after, when there was any 

 conflict of opinion as to where the birds were, I let the dog 

 have his own way. This was brought about by observing 

 that when I was at fault in marking down a bird that Trim 

 had ideas of his own upon the subject, which were generally 

 coirect; he was ra-elyat fault, and was possessed of 'a re- 

 markable faculty for locating a flashed bird. He appeared 

 to know intuitively just where it would alight. In vain 

 would I try to make him hunt closer the particular bit of 

 cover where I had seen the bird go down, and, after several 

 times tramping the spot out myself to no purpose, he would, 

 nearly always, lead me straight to the bird. Once, I shall 

 never forget, I tried to make him go back and work over a 

 corner that we had just come through, feeling sure that I 

 had marked the bird correctly, and that it wes lying close in 

 there; he would not budge an inch, but looked back at me 

 over his shoulder, slightly wagging hi3 tail, and tried to 



