DOGS, AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS. 361 



blinding snow or floating ice, he never questioned his 

 going, but went and returned at the will of his master. 



In snipe shooting he would point the birds, or 

 at heel simply retrieve. His wish was simply the 

 desire of his master. He seemed to know the birds 

 always arose up-wind, and he would approach noise- 

 lessly or with a loud racket, whichever way he thought 

 would afford the best shot to the hunter. I have time 

 and again seen him point snipe coming down-wind, 

 then make a wide circuit and come up-wind, with loud 

 splashing, to drive the bird toward the hunter. 



He showed his greatest skill in prairie chicken shoot- 

 ing, and he was the only dog I ever saw that would 

 work successfully on them in a November and Decem- 

 ber corn-field. There isn't a bird that flies that is 

 harder to approach than an old chicken that has sur- 

 vived the fall battles. His experience has made him a, 

 veteran. He solicits no pension, for he feels perfectly 

 capable of taking care of himself. On these old 

 warriors Colonel has given his owner, Mr. Tate, and 

 myself many pleasant afternoons. In the corn-field the 

 dog would trot along through the standing corn, care- 

 ful not to step on reclining stalks, or make the slightest 

 noise ; finally he would strike a trail, then the utmost 

 caution would be exercised. As the trail grew fresher, 

 he would creep silently along half crawling ; then stop 

 and look around at us, as if invoking caution. When 

 he felt he had located the birds, he would slowly return 

 to us, then go back of us ; we knew what to expect. 

 He had found where the birds were, and they had quit 

 running and were hiding. Then we would separate Mr. 

 Tate and I. In a short time there would be a racket 

 in that field, as if made by a steer running wildly, it 



