164 TRAINING THE HUNTING DOG 



and keeps it ever as a base of operations from which 

 to work. 



Let us assume that the dog is seekingquail. Bare or 

 unpromising country, such as plowed ground, closely 

 grazed pasture, etc., he skirts or entirely avoids. He 

 notes such covers to the right and left as are likely 

 to afford a habitat for the birds, and he ranges from 

 one of them to the other, observing due economy in 

 following his course so that he will cover the most 

 ground with the least galloping consistent with tHe 

 work to be done. He goes through cover when in 

 his wise judgment it is necessary to do so to insure 

 the best chances of success; or, taking the wind to 

 the best advantage, he gallops along other stretches 

 of cover which are likely to be used by the birds as a 

 place of refuge. Sometimes he skirts around an en- 

 tire field to hit off the trail of moving birds, while at 

 other times he goes through it, accordingly as the 

 wind, scenting conditions, etc., dictate. From ex- 

 perience he learns the kinds of ground which the 

 birds most frequent, and the times of day in which 

 they are most likely to be found in them. 



When the birds are plentiful he beats out a much 

 smaller area of ground than when they are scarce. 



