THE PARTRIDGE. 169 



the Sid'* of the fields adjoining cover, as partridges do not frequent 

 the middle of the fields except in portions of the country where 

 they are seldom or never hunted after. 



When the dog comes to a point, if possible, place yourself be- 

 tween the birds and the cover, and, if practicable, face the wind, 

 as the covey when rising will furnish a much better shot. 



Dogs should not be too severely rated for making false points, 

 as the best dogs will do it at times ; those that back him, of course 

 must be entirely exonerated. Dogs possessing the very nicest 

 noses are occasionally at fault, and will overrun and flush single 

 birds, more especially in hot, dry weather, and should not be treated 

 too harshly for such mishaps. Much advantage is gained by the 

 mode of approaching your dogs when they have come upon a 

 covey ; and every shooter should be able to judge of the position 

 of the birds by the actions of the dog. 



English dogs, we are satisfied, from personal observation, in fact, 

 from actual experiment, for we have imported several, cannot at 

 first find our partridges with the same facility with which our dogs 

 do ; and we might go further, and say there never was an imported 

 dog over the age of two years that ever acquired the art of finding 

 the American partridge equal to our own breed of pointers and 

 setters. 





