THE WOODCOCK. 191 



of guns, placed in the hands of every awkward booby that can 

 raise sufficient means to purchase a few pounds of shot. 



Cock-shooting in England, some of our readers will be surprised 

 to learn, is most generally pursued with the aid of cocker spaniels. 

 We are content to hunt them with our setters and pointers, many 

 of which are celebrated for their skill and prowess in finding this 

 game. It is particularly necessary that dogs used for cock-shoot- 

 ing should be very stanch, and not over eager, otherwise they will 

 soon be lost to view in the coverts and brakes which these birds most 

 generally frequent, and flush bird after bird without ever being 

 seen or corrected for it. 



As for attempting to shoot woodcocks to half-broken spaniels, we 

 should consider such an undertaking too laborious and tormenting 

 to venture upon, although, with good cockers, we can easily imagine 

 that the sport must be much more spirited and enlivening than 

 when pursued with setters and pointers. Cockers, from their size, 

 are much better adapted by nature to the pursuit of this game than 

 either the setter or the pointer, which latter cannot insinuate them- 

 selves into the recesses of our briery coverts, no matter how well- 

 disposed for the sport they may be, but are forced to back out of 

 such impassable places, where the courageous little cocker would 

 glide through without suffering the least inconvenience from the 

 thorns and briers. 



It is not unusual, in England, to attach small, plaintive bells to 

 the collars of dogs hunting woodcocks, so that their exact position 

 may be known. This practice is a very good one, and, when the 

 covert is very thick, will save the sportsman much hallooing and 

 whistling. When used for pointers and setters, the silence of the 

 bell will announce the point of the dog. The tinkling of the bells, 

 if light and melodious, will not disturb the birds, but rather en- 

 liven the gloom and dulness of the woody glens, and add new spirit 

 and life to the sport. 



The bells should be of different tones, so as to distinguish the 

 dogs from each other. We are satisfied that the use of bells could 

 be made very advantageous in partridge-shooting, in some sections 



