FOR THE FIELD AND FIELD TRIALS. 177 



down on certain occasions in the hunting field or at 

 home, to prevent his interference, to stop his prowl- 

 ing, or to make him cease hunting, yet it is not de- 

 sirable that he be made to drop in a machine-like 

 manner when there is no real occasion for it. The 

 contention that it puts a more artistic finish to the 

 dog's work, and that it is a deterrent to breaking 

 shot, chasing and breaking in, is a matter of pure 

 fancy. It comes under the head of a trick perform- 

 ance, much as if the dog were to turn a somersault 

 at the report of the gun, and is almost as irrelevant. 



There is nothing in the rise of the bird or the re- 

 port of the gun that can be usefully supplemented by 

 the drop of the dog, nor is the act of special import- 

 ance as a preventive of shot breaking, breaking in, 

 or chasing. 



If the dog is unsteady, he does not drop to wing in 

 practice, whatever he may do in theory. 



The enforcement of steadiness to shot and wing is 

 one of the easiest parts of the dog's training to com- 

 pass, and it is infinitely much easier to teach than it 

 is to teach the dog to drop to shot or wing. 



The disadvantages encountered in teaching it and 

 after it is taught, are that, some punishment being 



