106 RANGE GREATER ON MOORS. [CH. vi. 



purpose advancing, and will guide his own movements 

 accordingly. Should he, as most probably he will for 

 some time, turn too sharply towards you when getting 

 near the hedge, I mean at too acute an angle, incline or 

 rather face towards him. This, coupled with the natural 

 wish to range unrestrained, will make him hunt longer 

 parallel to the hedge, before he makes his second turn 

 towards you. 



179. You may at first strive to correct your dog's 

 turning too abruptly inwards (the first turn) , by pushing 

 on in your own person further ahead on your own beat ; 

 but when he has acquired if merely the slightest idea of 

 a correct range, be most careful not to get in advance of 

 the ground he is to hunt. Your doing so might habituate 

 him to cross the field diagonally (thereby leaving much 

 of the sides of the fields unhunted), in order to get 

 ahead of you ; and, moreover, you might spring birds 

 which you are anxious Iw should find. Should he, on 

 the other hand, be inclined to work too far upward 

 before making his turn to cross the field, hang back 

 in your own person. 



180. Though you may be in an unenclosed country, 

 let him range at first from no more than from seventy to 

 eighty yards on each side of you. You can gradually 

 extend these lateral beats as he becomes conversant 

 with his business indeed, at the commencement, rather 

 diminish than increase the distances just named, both 

 for the length of the parallels and the space between 

 them. Do not allow the alluring title " a fine wide 

 ranger " to tempt you to let him out of leading-strings. 

 If he be once permitted to imagine that he has a dis- 

 cretionary power respecting the best places to hunt, and 

 the direction and length of his beats, you will find it 

 extremely difficult to get him again well in hand. On 



