SHOOTING THE RETRIEVER. 103 



upon it, to prevent its escape, as it was only wounded, 

 pointed to that it had found. The same creature also 

 evinced- extraordinary sagacity on another occasion, 

 when his master was shooting in Berwickshire, on 

 the banks of the Tweed, which is opposite to Till- 

 mouth Castle. The birds which he had sprung made 

 across the river, there being a preserve on the other side ; 

 but one of them, which he had shot while crossing, fell 

 into the water, and was carried down by the stream. 

 He would not suffer his dog to move until he had re- 

 loaded, when, on getting the word " Seek dead," the 

 observant animal galloped down the bank until he 

 recovered sight of the floating pheasant, and then, 

 plunging into the river, brought it safe to shore. 



The author had a retriever, as perfect in its busi- 

 ness as, perhaps, one of its kind ever was; bred 

 between the bull-dog and smooth terrier. This rare 

 creature was as complete in all the duties of a land- 

 retriever as in those of a water-spaniel. She was 

 more than amphibious : living, in fact, in the water, 

 especially the sea, whenever the opportunity was 

 afforded her. In sagacity and courage, if she ever 

 had a parallel, she never had a superior. A shoot- 

 ing party, of which he was one, having returned to 

 lunch, a keeper reported, that as the woods were 

 being beaten for pheasants, two or three woodcocks 

 had been flushed. It was very early in the season 

 for such visitors, and a sweepstakes of 5 each was 

 made, to be divided among the subscribers, according 

 to the number of cocks that each should bring home 



