78 INSTRUCTION IN QUARTERING. [CH. v. 



age,* he will merely gallop and frisk about, and pro- 

 bably will take diligently to persecuting butterflies. Let 

 him choose what he likes. Don't think that he will prize 

 small beer, when he can get champagne. He will leave 

 off noticing inferior articles as he becomes conversant 

 with the taste of game. It is now your main object to 

 get him to hunt ; no matter what, so that he is not per- 

 petually running to "heel." And the more timid he is, 

 the more you must let him chase, and amuse himself as 

 his fancy dictates. When you see that he is really 

 occupying himself with more serious hunting, eagerly 

 searching for small birds, especially larks, you must 

 begin instructing him how to quarter his ground to the 

 greatest advantage, under your constant direction. Should 

 any one join you, or anything occur likely to prevent 

 your giving him your strictest attention, on no account 

 permit him to range, keep him to "heel" until you 

 are quite prepared to watch and control all his move- 

 ments. Hunt him where he is least likely to find game, 

 for he will take to quartering his ground far more regu- 

 larly, under your guidance, where his attention is least 

 distracted by any scent. The taint of partridge would 

 be almost sure to make him deviate from the true line 

 on which you are anxious he should work. Labour now 

 diligently, if possible daily, though not for many hours 

 a day ; for be assured, a good method of ranging can 

 only be implanted when he is young : but be discreet, 

 if he be naturally timid, you may make him afraid to 

 leave your heel the worst of faults. 



133. Should your pup be so long before taking to 



* I once had a pointer pup could not have been hunted for 



whose dam was broken in (after more than an hour or two at a time, 



u fashion) and regularly shot to She ought not to have been taken 



when seven months old. With- to the field for regular use until 



out injury to her constitution, she fully a year old. 



