70 VARIETIES OF SHOOTING. 



to move about and feed without leaving the wood or copsey 

 and generally without taking wing at all, working his way 

 for the most part upwards if the covert is in a valley or on 

 the side of a hill. On bright days they do not move nearly 

 so much as on dark days; and I have invariably found, as a 

 rule, that my sport has been inferior on bright sunny days 

 to what it has been on dark and gloomy ones. 



"In decidedly misty weather the woodcocks are much 

 more on the move than even on dark and gloomy days, and 

 certainly take wing continually, feeding for an hour perhaps 

 in one place, then flying on for about 100, 200, or more 

 yards, then feeding again, and then taking another flight; 

 and generally, I think, working up towards the open 

 country. On these misty days I have been sometimes dis- 

 appointed in finding the cock at all, especially if not out in 

 the morning, though perhaps I have hit on two or three 

 places where he has been feeding during the previous part 

 of the day; though frequently, on the other hand, by 

 knowing the ground well, I have at last overtaken him. 



JAM SATIS." 



DOGS EMPLOYED IN COCK SHOOTING. 



Spaniels of all kinds are used in cock shooting ; but the- 

 smaller kind known as cockers, from being devoted to this 

 sport, are most suited to it, in consequence of their being, 

 able to follow out the runs in the thick coverts better than 

 the larger kinds generally known as springers, and kept for 

 pheasant shooting. Two or three couple of cockers are 

 hunted together, and when well broken they afford good 

 sport, but the most successful cock shooters prefer using 

 beaters almost unassisted by the dog. An excellent nose is 

 a sine qud non in the cocker ; but more than this is wanted, 

 as is very ably shown by the writer above alluded to under 

 the signature of " Jam Satis." 



" There are some dogs," he says, "that seem to have a 

 most extraordinary instinct for finding the sleeping or lying 

 cock, and get greatly excited, and rush towards his hiding- 

 place, and flush him with a spring and a howl of delight. 

 These are the dogs for finding a cock that has dropped into- 



