VARIETIES OF THE DOG. 97 



deserves to have, and will have, a stroke with the whip. The gun being 

 again charged, the bird is sought for, and the dog is suffered to see it and 

 play with it for a minute before it is put into the bag. 



" He will now become thoroughly fond of the sport, and his fondness will 

 increase with each bird that is killed. At every time, however, whether 

 he kills or misses, the sportsman should make the dog l Down charge,' 

 and never allow him to rise until he has loaded. 



" If a hare should be wounded, there will, occasionally, be considerable 

 difficulty in preventing him from chasing her. The best broken and 

 steadiest dog cannot always be restrained from running hares. He must 

 be checked with ' Ware chase,' 'and, if he does not attend, the sportsman 

 must wait patiently. He will by-and-by come slinking along with his 

 tail between his legs, conscious of his fault. It is one, however, that admits 

 of no pardon. He must be secured, and, while the field echoes with the cry 

 of ' Ware chasej he must be punished to a certain but not too great ex- 

 tent. The castigation must be repeated as often as he offends ; or, if there 

 is much difficulty in breaking him of the habit, he must be got rid of." 



The breaking-in or subjugation of pointers and setters is a very im- 

 portant, and occasionally a difficult affair ; the pleasure of the sportsman, 

 however, depends upon it. The owner of any considerable property will 

 naturally look to his keeper to furnish him with dogs on which he may 

 depend, and he ought not to be disappointed ; for those which belong 

 to other persons, or are brought at the beginning of the season, whatever 

 account the breaker or the keeper of them may give, will too often 

 be found deficient. 



THE OTTER HOUND 



used to be of a mingled breed, between the southern hound and the 

 rough terrier, and in size between the harrier and the fox-hound. The 

 head should be large and broad, the shoulders and quarters thick, and the 

 hair strong, wiry, and rough. They used to be kept in small packs, for 

 the express purpose of hunting the otter. 



Two hundred and fifty years ago, otter-hunting was a favourite amuse- 

 ment in several parts of Great Britain. Many of our streams then abounded 

 with this destructive animal ; but, since the population of our country has 

 become more dense, and game-keepers are more numerous, and many 

 contrivances are adopted to ensnare and destroy otters, few are now to be 

 found. 



THE TURNSPIT. 



This dog was once a valuable auxiliary in the kitchen, by turning the 

 spit before jacks were invented. It had a peculiar length of body, with 

 short crooked legs, the tail curled, its ears long and pendent, and the 

 head large in proportion to the body. It is still used in the kitchen on 

 various parts of the Continent. There are some curious stories of the 

 artfulness with which he often attempted to avoid the task imposed upon 

 him. 



There is a variety of this dog ; the crooked-legged turnspit. 



