may put up the game out of gunshot. It therefore follows that in 

 his early days he must be made absolutely steady. Whether he 

 becomes so or not is not so much attributable to the inherent 

 wickedness of the dog as to the lack of patience in his breaker. 

 One is almost inclined to say that the good breaker is born not 

 made. At any rate, supposing you have the leisure, this is a task 

 better undertaken by yourself than entrusted to a gamekeeper, who 

 may have neither the time nor disposition to act as a wise school- 

 master. 



A Springer is large enough to retrieve both fur and feather, 

 but whether or no he should be encouraged to do this depends 

 upon circumstances. General Hutchinson says : " When a regular 

 retriever can be constantly employed with spaniels, of course it will 

 be unnecessary to make any of them fetch game (certainly never 

 to lift anything which falls out of bounds), though all the team 

 should be taught to * seek dead.' This is the plan pursued by the 

 Duke of Newcastle's keepers, and obviously it is the soundest and 

 easiest practice, for it must be always more or less difficult to make 

 a spaniel keep within his usual hunting limits, who is occasionally 

 encouraged to pursue wounded game, at his best pace, to a con- 

 siderable distance." 



The word Springer is applied to all medium-legged spaniels, 

 as apart from the short-legged ones, that are neither Clumbers nor 



