112 lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



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 hreak shot and seize the Bird the very moment it falls to the 

 ground ; and it is next to an impossibility 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 re- 

 spect ; although we have had two as good Retrievers as ever 

 went into a field, in the common acceptance of the term, ; still, 

 they would most generally break shot, to seize the Bird the 

 moment we fired, and of course flush any Birds that might 

 remain. At times we were able to restrain them, more espe- 

 cially when hunting alone ; but when in company with other 

 Dogs it was entirely out of the question to control them, as go 

 they would in quest of the Bird in spite of all our efforts to the 

 contrary. This vice, of course, had a most baneful influence 

 over all the Dogs in company, as they, naturally desiring to 

 follow the example of our Retrievers, could with difficulty be 

 made to doiun charge as they were before tutored, preferring 

 rather to contest the right to the fallen game with our Dogs. 

 We have been annoyed in the same way more than once with 

 Retrievers highly lauded b}^ our friends; and we must confess 

 that such Dogs, as a general thing, although they save their 

 owners some little trouble in picking the Birds up, do a great 

 deal more harm than good ; and upon the whole are very bad 

 companions for old and steady Dogs, as well as most ruinous 

 preceptors for young ones. Of course, we would not object to a 

 perfectly broken Retriever, if such an animal can be found ; but 

 we doubt very much of ever seeing so much perfection in 

 either a good Pointer or Setter. The mere act o^ fetching dead 

 game is one of the simplest feats performed by most of the 

 members of the canine race, and perhaps one of the most natu- 

 ral propensities of all Hunting Dogs, and is therefore easily 

 cultivated in them. But, as before observed, the great stum- 

 bling-block in the way of obtaining a perfect Retriever is the 

 almost utter impossibility by any course of discipline, no matter 

 how severe, no matter how persevering, to make a Dog at all 

 times restrain the powerful impulse that urges him to rush 



