WILD-FOWL SHOOTING ON THE HIGHLAND LOCHS. 151 



before you can procure one which upon trial may prove 

 worth the great trouble of thoroughly training, you may 

 have to destroy half-a-dozen. You should begin your train- 

 ing when the dog is very young ; and if you find he is not 

 turning out as you could wish, seal his fate at once. The 

 dog you want must be mute as a badger, and cunning as 

 a fox : he must be of a most docile and bidable disposition ; 

 the generality of this breed are so : they are also slow and 

 heavy in their movements, and phlegmatic in their temper 

 great requisites ; but when fowl are to be secured, you will 

 find no want either of will or activity, on land or water. 

 The accompanying illustration may serve to show the sort 

 of dog I mean, being a likeness of the best I ever saw. He 

 never gave a whimper, if ever so keen, and obeyed every 

 signal I made with the hand. He would watch my motions 

 at a distance, when crawling after wild-fowl, ready to start 

 forward the moment I fired ; and in no one instance did 

 he spoil my shot. I may mention a proof of his sagacity. 

 Having a couple of long shots across a pretty broad stream, 

 I stopped a mallard with each barrel, but both were only 

 wounded : I sent him across for the birds. He first at- 

 tempted to bring them both, but one always struggled out 

 of his mouth ; he then dropped one, intending to bring the 

 other but whenever he attempted to cross to me, the bird 

 left fluttered into the water ; he immediately returned again, 

 laid down the first on the shore, and recovered the other. 

 The first now fluttered away, but he instantly secured it, 

 and, standing over them both, seemed to cogitate for a 

 moment ; then, although on any other occasion he never 

 ruffled a feather, he deliberately killed one, brought over 

 the other, and then returned for the dead bird. 



The only other essential to the sportsman is a glass. A 

 pocket-telescope that will command two or three miles will 

 be generally found quite large enough. 



Having now equipped our wild-fowl shooter, we will again 



