EDITOR'S NOTE. 655 



before fetching. I have often been deceived in supposing a fresh 

 bird newly pointed to be the killed one, but have always found 

 ray dogs to hesitate so distinctly, before obeying the order to 

 "fetch" as to make it evident that I was in error, and allow ma 

 to correct it. 



For the better comprehension of the above admirable treatise 

 on breaking, I wish to add, for the benefit of the American 

 sportsmen, that, wherever Col. Hutchinson speaks of the part- 

 ridge, it is the English bird which he intends, which, in its habits, 

 is closely analogous to our quail ; and that all his precepts as to 

 breaking on partridge hold good precisely for the quail with us. 

 In the same way all his precepts for grouse-shooting apply, 

 letter for letter, to our prairie-fowl-shooting ; and his precepts 

 for pheasant-shooting to the hunting and shooting of our ruffed 

 grouse, called in the northern states the partridge, and in the 

 southern and western the pheasant. When he speaks of the 

 rabbit as distinct from the hare, he alludes to a European animal 

 which does not exist in America, the original stock of the tame 

 rabbit, which has the habit of burrowing in the ground and 

 dwelling in great communities, known as warrens. We have 

 two kinds of hare, the small one commonly known as the rabbit, 

 and the large Canadian hare, which turns white in winter ; but 

 no genuine rabbit. Hutchinson's rules as to breaking, in regard 

 to the English hares and rabbits, hold good of both our varieties. 



I will only say farther, that when he speaks of shooting in 

 turnips or potatoes, we may apply his rules to any tall-growing 

 vegetable covert, such as clover, rag weed, wild meadow-grass, 

 or the like, those crops not being so extensively cultivated with us 

 as to be haunted in general by game. Similarly, when he men- 

 tions breaking spaniels to gorse, we may substitute hollies, black- 

 brush, cat-briers, and any other thorny covert common in any 

 section of the country; but, in fact, no especial breaking is 

 needed with us, as we have no brake which exactly compares 

 with furze. H. w. H. 



