CH. in.] TEAM OF COCKER?. 45 



ticularly fine nose, he (the keeper) was anxious not to lose it. 



They walked on, and soon the man told M to be prepared, as 



the spaniels were feathering. A covey rose. The Colonel, who was 

 a good shot, killed right and left. All the Clumbers dropped 

 instantly. When he was reloading, the keeper begged him to say 



which of the dogs should retrieve the game. M pointed to 



a broad-headed dog lying in the middle, when the keeper directed 

 by name the spaniel so favoured to be off. It quickly fetched one 



of the birds. The keeper then asked M to choose some other 



dog to bring the remaining bird a runner. He did so, and the 

 animal he selected to act as retriever, performed the duty very 

 cleverly ; the rest of the team remaining quite still, until its 

 return. 



The Colonel had capital sport, killing nearly twenty brace, and 

 the dogs behaved beautifully throughout the day. When afterwards 

 relating the circumstances, he observed that, although an old sports- 

 man, he had seldom been so gratified, as it was a novel scene to 

 him, who had not been accustomed to shoot over spaniels. 



77. Of small cockers, three couples appear ample to 

 form a team. Some teams of small springers greatly 

 exceed this number, and many sportsmen shoot over 

 more than a couple and a half of the larger spaniels ; 

 but it is a question whether, in the generality of cases, 

 the gun would not benefit by the number being dimi- 

 nished rather than increased. The smaller in number 

 the team, the greater is the necessity that none of them 

 should stick too close to "heel." The difficulty is to 

 make them hunt far enough, and yet not too far. At 

 least one of the number should retrieve well. If they 

 give tongue, it ought to be in an intelligible mariner ; 

 softly, when they first come on the haunt of a cock, but 

 making the cover ring again with their joyous melody, 

 when once the bird is flushed. A first-rate cocker will 

 never deceive by opening upon an old haunt, nor yet 

 find the gun unprepared by delaying to give due warning 

 before he flushes the bird. When cocks are abundant, 

 some teams are broken, not only to avoid flick, but 

 actually not to notice a pheasant, or anything beside 

 woodcock. Hardly any price would tempt a real lover 



