CH. v.] ESQUIMAUX DOGS. 81 



137. Far more dogs would be well-broken, if men 

 would but keep half the number they usually possess. 

 The owner of many dogs cannot shoot often enough over 

 them to give tliem great experience. 



Is it that some youngsters are fond of the eclat of a large kennel ? 

 That can hardly be, or ought not to be ; for clearly it would be more 

 sportsmanlike to pride themselves upon the rare qualities of a few 

 highly-trained animals. A lover of the trigger might be excused an 

 occasional boast, if made with an approach to truth, that he shot over 

 the best-broken dogs in the county. I say seriously, that if I had 

 a considerable bet upon the quantity of game that I was to kill in a 

 season, I had much rather possess two perfectly educated dogs than 

 half-a-dozen commonly called broken ; and even if I gave fifty or 

 sixty guineas for the brace, it would be more economical than to 

 purchase twice as many of the everyday sort ; for, to say nothing of 

 the tax-gatherer, consider what would be the saving at the end of 

 a very few years between the keep of two, and of four or five dogs. 

 I suspect the difference would soon repay the large price paid for 

 the highly-educated favourites. Oh ! yes. I anticipate what you 

 would say ; but, keen sportsman as I am, I own I have not time or 

 inclination to shoot oftener than three or four out of the six working- 

 days of the week, and I suspect not many men have, except just 

 at the beginning of a season. Moreover, in reference to what I 

 fancy are your thoughts respecting the insufficiency of two, I must 

 premise that they are to be good-hearted dogs, good feeders after 

 work, probably of the sort whose exuberant animal spirits, untiring 

 energies, and rapture at inhaling the exciting perfume of game, have 

 led them to run riot in many a lawless chase ; who have consequently 

 used up more than their fair share of the breaker's checkcord, and 

 consumed an undue portion of his time. They must not be those 

 whose constitutions have been injured in their growth by excessive 

 work ; for dogs vary as much as horses in the quantity of labour 

 they are able to perform, both from diversity of natural capabilities, 

 and from the greater or less care bestowed upon them while pro- 

 gressing towards maturity. The Esquimaux, who from anxious 

 observation must be a competent judge, his very existence de- 

 pending upon the powers and endurance of his dogs, not^ only 

 occasionally crosses them with the wolf (the progeny is prolific) to 

 increase their strength and hardiness, I do not say sagacity, but 

 he is so impressed with the necessity of not overtasking them until 

 they have attained their full stamina and vigour, that although he 

 breaks them into harness before they are quite a twelvemonth old, 

 when their immediate services would be convenient, he yet abstains 

 from putting them to severe labour until they are nearly three years 

 of age. My supposed dogs must, too, have as united a gallop as a 

 good hunter, and have small, round, hard feet ; for this I hold to be 

 a more certain test of endurance in the field, than any other point 



