200 THE COMPLETE SHOT 



are the better dogs for retrieving probably arises because of 

 mental reservations of those who express opinions. The 

 advocates of spaniels are probably speaking of a team, and 

 those who sing the praises of retrievers are thinking of one 

 retriever against one spaniel. Except upon the line of a runner, 

 a single retriever is usually much better than a single spaniel on 

 any ground, and although the spaniel is quicker on the actual 

 line of the runner, he usually takes much longer than the retriever 

 to find the fall of the bird or the place to start from. Altogether, 

 the retriever is preferable, unless a team of retrieving spaniels 

 can be worked at the same time, and even then several retrievers 

 will probably be as satisfactory, except that they take up more 

 room in traps and motor cars. 



The best spaniel for all - round purposes is the English 

 springer ; he is active, stays well, and can retrieve well. The 

 clumber cannot be coupled with him, because he is not supposed 

 to stay, and moreover he is as big as a retriever to get about 

 country, and without being nearly as active. In the New 

 Forest, where shooters are limited to a fixed number of dogs, 

 nobody will look at a clumber ; so that for heavy work a change 

 of team, or dog, at lunch-time would probably be needed were 

 clumbers relied upon. No such charge can be brought against 

 either English or Welsh springers, but the cockers are only one 

 remove better than toys, the field black spaniels, and the 

 Sussex breeds. 



Irish water spaniels have been mostly kept and altered for 

 show, and the few that the author has seen at work of late years 

 have been extremely moderate performers. 



THE BREAKING OF THE SPANIEL 



The spaniel should be broken early. Eight months old is 

 quite late enough to enter on game if good breaking is required, 

 and all hand breaking should precede this entry, and should 

 follow the lines proper both for retrievers and pointers as far as 

 they apply to individual requirements. 



If one has to allow doers to " run in " and chase frame, to 



