32 FOUR-LEGGED WHIPPER-IN. [CH. in. 



or name, the breaker gets hold of the cord and jerks it ; 

 this makes the dog come in a few paces ; another jerk 

 or two makes him approach closer, and then the breaker, 

 by himself retiring with his face towards the spaniel, 

 calling out his name (or whistling), and occasionally 

 jerking the cord, makes him quite submissive, and more 

 disposed to obey on future occasions. 



55. In training a large team it is of much advantage 

 to the keeper to have a lad to rate, and, when necessary, 

 give the skirters a taste of the lash, in short, to act 

 as whipper-in. The keeper need not then carry a whip, 

 or at least often use it, which will make his spaniels all 

 the more willing to hunt close to him. 



56. Lord A r's head gamekeeper was singularly 



aided : he possessed a four-legged whipper-in. A few 

 years ago while Mr. D s (M.P. for a South Eastern 

 County) was with a shooting party at his Lordship's, 

 the keeper brought into the field a brace of powerful 

 retrievers, and a team of spaniels, among which were 

 two that had never been shot over. On the first phea- 

 sant being killed, all the old spaniels dropped to shot, 

 but one of the young ones rushed forward and mouthed 

 the bird. The person who had fired ran on to save it, 

 but the keeper called aloud, and requested him not 

 to move. The man then made a signal to one of the 

 retrievers to go. He did so instantly, but, instead of 

 meddling with the bird, he seized the spaniel, lifted him 

 up, and shook him well. The moment the pup could 

 escape, he came howling to the " heels " of the keeper, 

 and lay down among his companions. The keeper then 

 confessed that a couple of the spaniels had never been 

 shot to, but he confidently assured the sportsmen, they 

 would see before the day was over, that the pups behaved 

 fully as steadily as the old dogs, and explained to the 



