CH. XL] BIED HELD BY PAW. 187 



unsuccessful, she would indefatigably traverse the field from leeward 

 until some slight taint in the atmosphere intimated to her in what 

 direction to continue the search. When he afterwards hunted her 

 in Ireland, though he could not get her to point snipe, yet if he 

 killed one, she would exert herself to the utmost to retrieve it. Her 

 keenness probably in part arose from her having, as a young one, 

 always been indulged with a good " touseling " of the game before 

 it was picked up. She never wished to grip. 



319. A gentleman who was my neighbour a few seasons ago, has 

 a very old setter, which was also capital at "finding." " Don" used 

 to lay his paw upon the wounded bird, which, I fancy, afforded him 

 such gratification that he would zealously devote every faculty he 

 possessed to secure the prize. You could not teach every dog this 

 method of detaining a bird. If yours is one of a very docile dis- 



Cition you may effect it by always placing the dead or wounded 

 i for a minute or two under his paw before you deposit it in 

 the bag. 



320. An officer of the Navy, Mr. W b, of Southsea, once pos- 

 sessed a true Blenheim naturally a tender breed that, from having 

 been injudiciously thrown into the water when young (see 104), had 

 taken such a dislike to the element, that although she was extremely 

 attached to her master, and always anxious to be with him, especi- 

 ally when he shouldered his gun, yet the moment she saw him appear 

 with a towel in hand (feeling assured he purposed bathing), she would 

 bolt off, and allow nothing to persuade her to accompany him. 

 Now, great as was her abhorrence of a cold bath, yet her gratifica- 

 tion in retrieving so far outweighed every other feeling, that for the 

 moment it overcame her aversion to a plunge, and whenever Mr. 



W b shot a duck she would dash in to bring it on shore. She 



would carefully deposit it at the edge of the bank, but not carry it 

 a step further. " Kose " had secured it, and that was the extent of 

 her wishes. 



321. We have only spoken of instances 266, 307, 309, 

 in which all has gone on smoothly, the dog most obe- 

 diently dropping to shot and permitting you to take up 

 the bird notwithstanding the poor creature's death- 

 struggles. Suppose, however, and this may probably 

 happen, that he does not restrain himself at the " down 

 charge/' but, in spite of all your calls and signals, rushes 

 forward, yet yields to your menaces and halts in mid- 

 career. It is well your course is clear ; you have to 

 lug him back, and threaten, and lecture him. But should 

 he not check himself until he sniffs the game, his stop 



