258 BREAKING AND ENTERING. 



give the dog the wind, that is to sa}', to beat up towards 

 the wind's eye ; and therefore the breaker will put his dogs 

 to work in that direction ; and then, though they do not always 

 beat directly towards the wind, yet they have it blowing from 

 the game towards them in each of their crossings. (See diagram 

 on p. 255.) But suppose, as it sometimes happens, that the 

 sportsman cannot well do this, as when birds are likely to be 

 on the edge of a manor, with the wind blowing on to it from 

 that over which he has no right of shooting ; — here, if he gave 

 his dog the wind in the usual way, he would drive all the birds 

 off his own beat ; and, to avoid this, he begins at the edge of it, 

 and makes his pointers (if thej^ are well enough broken) leave 

 him and go up the other side to the far end of the field (if 

 not too long), and then beat towards him in the usual way. It 

 is true that the necessity for this kind of beating does not often 

 occur ; but sometimes a considerable number of shots are lost 

 for want of teaching it, and the perfect dog should understand it 

 thoroughly. When, therefore, the puppy has learnt to range 

 in the ordinary way, and will work to the hand well, as before 

 described, give him a lesson in this kind of beating ; and, if 

 any difficulty occurs, send a boy to lead him until he is far 

 enough away, and then let the biped loose his charge, first 

 catching the dog's eye yourself, so as to make him aware that 

 you are the person he is to range to. In a few lessons he soon 

 begins to find out the object of this departure from the usual 

 plan, and by a little perseverance he Avill, of his own accord, 

 when he finds he has not got the wind, work so as to make a 



