76 THE ART OF TRAIXIXG AXIMALS, 



'* When you observe Dash more excited than usual, you may 

 reasonably expect a bevy near. They will not probably be 

 far off, as he has not become accustomed to the familiar and 

 welcome scent that will enable him to wind them at a 

 distance. Now comes the trying hour for master and pupil. 

 The former should be perfectly cool, and should consider the 

 killing of game a secondary affair — ^let him give his attention 

 to Dash. The dog seems too eager for the scent — you cry 

 ^ steady ! steady !' — if he is apparently near the game, and you 

 are afraid he will flush, you cry ^ toho !^ You approach and find 

 the quail do not raise — you tell him to close on, which he does 

 by moving rather rapidly — you check him by crying ^ steady ! 

 steady!' he points, ^iohoV You now approach and flush the 

 bevy j be sure you bring down one bird, and it will he well that 

 you only fire one barrel, that you may have more time to look 

 after Dash, who of course scampers after the whirring bevy. 

 You immediately cry ' toho ! come in !' — on, on he goes ; in his 

 wild excitement he disregards your will entirely. You now use 

 your whistle. By this time the birds are out of sight (but you, 

 of course, have marked them), and he is running belter skelter. 

 You must soon get hold of his collar, drag him rather roughly 

 back to where he pointed — ^lashing him slightly — and make him 

 ^ charge,' and keep his position until you reload ; after which 

 you will take him to where your bu'd has fallen — indicate the 

 place with your hand, crying ^ hie, fetch ! fetch ! fetch !' From 

 his previous lessons he will know that you wish him to look for 

 something, and his nose will soon tell him what it is. Do not 

 let him mouth or toy with it, or he will soon get in the habit 

 of roughly mouthing your game, than which I scarcely know a 

 worse habit. 



" You may now rest for a short time, that the bevy m^ay get 

 over their fright ; after which they will be more easily found, 

 for if they have been very much frightened, they will not give 

 out sufficient odor to enable your pupil to point well, and he may 

 consequently flush them, thereby doing great harm. You can- 

 not do better than to spend your time in repeating your house 

 training with the dead quail : casting it from you, telling him 

 to ' close on ! steady ! charge ! hie on ! fetch !' Cast it some 

 distance unobserved — waft your hand in the proper direction, 

 and tell him ' hie, fetch ! fetch ! fetch !' After a short time 

 has elapsed, you may take Dash to where you have marked the 

 birds. When near the birds, keep Dash near you, that he may 

 be the more easily controlled. If he seem too eager he only needs 

 the command of ' steady \ ' to control him. Let the command 

 be in rather an undertone — never get into the snobbish habit of 



