THE PARTRIDGE. 119 



Young dogs can never stand such training, as they are not able, or 

 at all events, being so very 'eager, are not willing, to comprehend 

 the wide difference between flushing the game when their master is 

 directly behind them and doing it for their own particular gratifi- 

 cation when he is entirely out of gunshot. Old dogs may be hied 

 on occasionally, when circumstances seem to demand it, but young 

 dogs never, except we wish to spoil them and consequently give 

 ourselves a world of trouble in breaking them. 



When the game is sprung, do not fire at random into the covey ; 

 if you do, you will be sadly disappointed at your want of success. 

 On the contrary, carefully select one bird, on which draw, and 

 then give the other barrel to another, perhaps one of the stragglers 

 last up. Never mind the dead birds ; your dogs ought to be able 

 to find them. Watch the covey, if you have no marker, and see 

 exactly where they alight ; and follow, if practicable, as soon as 

 your gun is loaded. It is better not to stir from the spot where 

 you are standing till your gun is charged again, as there may have 

 been one or two stragglers left behind when the covey flew. En- 

 deavor at all times to be on the qui vive for such as may be termed 

 chance shots, which will amount to a great deal in the course of a 

 day's shooting. Dogs should be made to couch immediately at the 

 springing of a covey, or taught to come to heel without rating, and 

 never allowed to seek dead birds till after the gun is charged a 

 second time. A retriever that rushes out immediately on the firing 

 of the gun, in quest of the fallen victim, oftentimes does an im- 

 mense deal of harm ; he should be taught to bring the bird when 

 directed, and not before. It is a very difficult task to teach any 

 animal, no matter how sagacious he may be, this nicety in fetching 

 dead game, as his first impulse is to break shot and seize the bird 

 the very moment it falls to the ground ; and it is next to an im- 

 possibility to restrain a dog under such circumstances. In fact, 

 we have never yet met with a pointer or setter that was perfectly 

 broken in this respect ; although we have had two as good re- 

 trievers as ever went into a field, in the common acceptance of the 

 term, still, they would most generally break shot, to seize the bird 



