274 MR. B E'S DROPPER. [CH. xv. 



tains when first shown game, no one could be more surprised than 

 I was at hearing of so novel a display of intelligence. It is partly 

 to be accounted for by the fact, that none of his high animal spirits 

 and self-confidence had been destroyed by severity in breaking. I 

 can conscientiously aver that I do not think I whipped him more 

 than twice in the whole course of his training, and I am certain not 

 once harshly ; and his next owner was equally kind, I might more 

 correctly say, equally judicious. 



497. As a dog that loves you, and possesses proper self-confidence. 

 though, at the same time, he entertains due respect for your 

 authority, will always exert himself to the best of his abilities 

 to please, it remains but for you to direct those abilities aright. 

 " Shot," you see, pointed and hunted on alternate days. A little 

 bitch, that I knew, would, on the same day, set alternately different 

 kinds of game, according to the wishes of her master. She belonged 



to a Mr. B e, near Templemore, and, with the exception that 



she had no established judicious range, was one of the most killing 

 dogs to be met with in a long drive. She was an ugly, short-tailed 

 dropper ; in appearance not worth three half-crowns. She was 

 capital on snipe ; but on the bogs, if you were in expectation of 

 meeting with grouse, and, in consequence, refused to fire at one or 

 two snipes, and slightly scolded her for pointing them, she would 

 immediately leave off noticing them, confining herself entirely to 

 hunting for grouse. If you shot a snipe, and showed it to her, she 

 would immediately recommence seeking for the long-bills. But this 

 would be a dangerous lesson to teach a dog ever likely to be required 

 on the moors. A dog trained for grouse should invariably be rated 

 whenever he notices snipe ; lest, after toiling up the side of a moun- 

 tain on a broiling day, in expectation of hearing the exciting 

 " Whirr-r whirr-r," you be only greeted with the disappointing 

 " Skeap, skeap." On the other hand, if you live in the lowlands, 

 and think you may hereafter wish to take your dog out snipe- 

 shooting, make him occasionally point one in the early part of his 

 education. It is often difficult to bring a partridge-dog to notice 

 snipe, whereas a snipe-dog will readily acknowledge partridge on 

 account of the stronger scent. 



498. Many sportsmen are of opinion that droppers inherit more 

 of the bad than the good qualities of their parents ; but occasionally 



one of a litter, like Mr. B e's bitch, turns out an admirable dog, 



and proves a valuable exception to the supposed rule. Some time 

 since I heard an officer of the Eng'neers expatiating upon the 

 excellent qualities of a dropper (by his pointer " Guy ") out of a 

 Eussian setter, which, as he said, belonged to me many years ago : 

 but he was mistaken. I never possessed one. I wish I had ; for I 

 hear the breed is capital, that they are very easily broken, are 

 very intelligent, have excellent noses, and great endurance, but not 

 much speed, and never forget what has been once taught them : in 

 this respect more resembling pointers than our setters, which are 

 often wild at the beginning of a season. Could we, by judicious 

 crossing, improve them half as much as we did the old heavy 



