48 FEATHERED GAME 



with four, and the ease with which a hunter may 

 go wrong if his dog, for the moment out of sight 

 in the thick growth, makes a sudden change of 

 direction in the trailing, I believe that the dog 

 that is never more than forty yards from the 

 gun, — ^better yet if he keeps closer and no pot- 

 terer even if he does, my dear unbeliever — 

 that stops instantly at the first whiff of scent 

 that touches his nostrils ; trails slowly and care- 

 fully, knowing just how far he may crowd his 

 game and never overstepping that limit, — ^will 

 get for his master more and better shots than 

 the more dashing, field-trial, wider ranging dog 

 of better nose and even greater bird-finding 

 ability. We all know, however, that this latter 

 style is the more fashionable — and the more 

 common: Also that their owners are very en- 

 thusiastic over wood-cocking — (and it is a noble 

 sport; far be it from me to disparage it) — and 

 are apt to speak disrespectfully of the grouse 

 because it has so little of the accommodating 

 disposition of their favorite, who generally 

 does his best to help the sportsman score a kill, 

 even patiently waiting until the gunner can 

 hunt up his dog when he has at last ceased 

 whistling and shouting and has decided that his 



