PARTRIDGE SHOOTING. 205 



staunch, he may be, is infinitely inferior to a 

 free, up-headed, thorough-broken, fast-going dog 

 of either stock, and such a dog at any time should 

 command a price, of from eighty-five to a hundred 

 dollars. But when gentlemen object, as is often 

 the case, to paying the price, after having made 

 a fair trial of the animal, it is not strange that 

 for one really good dog in our large cities, you 

 will find fifty that will break shot run in upon 

 a point prove gun-foolish in the field, and in 

 fact show nothing of the true sporting dog, ex- 

 cept his instinctive qualities of finding and point- 

 ing game. There are men of good knowledge in 

 sporting affairs, who have attempted to break 

 dogs in a proper way ; but the little encourage- 

 ment given to them by the public has thrown 

 the business almost entirely into the hands of 

 market-shooters, who, of all classes of men, prove 

 the very worst masters, into whose hands a pro- 

 mising young dog can possibly fall. However, 

 as sporting is largely on the increase among us, 

 no doubt, in the course of time, the evil will 

 remedy itself. In the meantime, never purchase 

 a dog without trying him yourself, especially if 

 he is offered at a reduced price. 



We had gradually driven the remainder of 

 the birds into a part of the field nearest to the 



