140 ANIMALS USED BY THE SHOOTER. 



within forty or fifty yards of their masters, so as to provide 

 against their pushing up game out of shot. If this is well 

 carried out, and they are made steady to " down charge," while 

 at the same time they possess good noses, there is little more 

 necessary ; but this, little as it looks on paper, will be found 

 much more difficult to teach than the more complicated task 

 of the pointer. The temptations to the spaniel are constant; 

 he crosses foot-scents at every few yards, to follow out which 

 may perhaps lead him a long way off, and yet his appetite is 

 against leaving them unworked out. Nevertheless, he ought 

 to abandon them, unless he finds, on giving tongue, that his 

 master is not following him; and it is in producing this wait- 

 ing for orders that the special difficulty resides. The pointer 

 must also wait till he finds, but when he is under the stimulus 

 of scent, he is no longer required to hesitate what he shall do : 

 he knows his duty, and must stop dead, unless under circum- 

 stances when he may be called upon to " draw." The diffe- 

 rence between the two tasks is here clearly shown, and it need 

 not occasion surprise that the one is so much more difficult to 

 teach than the other, because it supposes reasoning power to 

 be displayed under circumstances of great temptation. But 

 the first thing to be done is to instil the desire to hunt, 

 without which the puppy must remain useless. If no incli- 

 nation is shown when first taken out, let him be put on the 

 scent of pheasants just as they come off their feed, and as they 

 are returning up the hedgerows. At this time the young dog 

 will only drive them into their secure retreats, and will do 

 little harm, if the practice is not continued day after day in 

 the same place. Until the young pheasants are able to fly, 

 this must not be attempted, as they may then be easily caught 

 and killed, but as soon as they can rise into the trees, they 

 are safe. It is well to avoid entering dogs intended for 

 feather to fur; and if this is done, pheasants are the only 

 winged game that can be selected. Spaniels should always 

 be taught to drop to the gun and hand, as I have already 

 explained, this being a part of their preliminary education, 

 when it may be taught by means of the pistol ; but it must 

 be enforced on all occasions when game is before them. A 

 retriever is very useful, as it is very difficult to prevent the 

 whole train of spaniels from bringing game, if any one is 



