128 ANIMALS USED BY THE SHOOTER. 



he is about. Presently the old dog "finds," and stands 

 steadily, while the puppy looks like a fool for a short time ; 

 then his curiosity being excited, he tries forward, puts up the 

 birds, and has a good chase after them. Encouraged by the 

 scent and chase, and stimulated also by example, he soon 

 begins to work on his own account, and as soon as he will do 

 so, withdraw the old dog, and let the young one beat by him- 

 self. Never mind his chasing birds, hares, or any other game 

 let him enjoy himself and get a zest for the sport, forwithout 

 this he will never be worth a farthing. Well-bred pointers 

 become sufficiently excited in the spring without the gun, if 

 they are not checked, and it is only by mismanagement that 

 they can be made " blinkers." The moment they begin to 

 work in earnest, whistle, and by that means attract their 

 attention, then make them work to the hand that is right 

 or left, forward or towards you, according as the hand is waved 

 in either of those directions. Some time and patience will be 

 spent in carrying out this lesson, but it is all important, and 

 upon it is based the whole system of ranging. Nothing else 

 is to be attempted till the dog is tolerably perfect in this 

 lesson that is, till he understands what he has to do, though 

 he may not always be willing to do it. Perfection in it will 

 require a long time, but two or three days will generally effect 

 what is now wanted. The young dog should alwaysbe "hied on" 

 from the leeward side, so as to give him the wind, and then 

 waving him to the right (or left, as the case may be), he is 

 allowed to work on for a certain distance, which in enclosed 

 districts is bounded by the nearest hedge, or in open ones 

 ends at two or three hundred yards from the shooter. Here 

 he is stopped by a whistle, waved forward for a few yards, 

 then whistled again, and waved to the left, in which direc- 

 tion he proceeds till he has arrived at a similar point on the 

 other side of the shooter, when the operation is repeated, but 

 in the reverse order, and so the ground is beaten out. When 

 two dogs are used together, one is started off to the right and 

 the other to the left, and each being turned at equal dis- 

 tances from the shooter, and moved in opposite directions, 

 they ought as nearly as possible to cross each time in front 

 of him as he walks forward. But this is a subsequent pro- 

 ceeding to the first teaching the beat. During this part of 



