114 lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



sections of country. Every Dog can be taught tliis duty 

 without much trouble, although at first it is often necessary to 

 exercise, with young and high-strung animals, considerable 

 patience and perseverance, so as to confine their attention to 

 the particular spot where the game is supposed to have fallen, 

 thus giving them a fair opportunity of catching the scent 

 of the Bird if dead, or of getting upon the track of it if only 

 wounded. When a Dog, more particularly a well-bred Setter, 

 has once acquired a tact and fondness for this particular duty, 

 he is most invaluable to the Sportsman, and will save from 

 prolonged suffering many a poor Bird that would otherwise 

 linger and die from its fatal wounds. Upon the score, then, of 

 humanity alone, we should teach our Dogs this important ser- 

 vice, and never permit them to abandon a disabled Bird till 

 after the most diligent search. We have already spoken on 

 this subject under the head of "killing clean," and cannot too 

 strongly impress these remarks upon the minds of our readers. 



The finding of dead game and the following up of wounded 

 Birds, however, can be taught a Dog without his having the 

 least idea of fetching or of going in quest of the game till so 

 ordered ; and, upon the whole, we think answers a far better 

 purpose than the general run of Dogs tutored to Retrieve. 



As for our own part, we never care to have another Retriever 

 for general sporting, being satisfied to act Dog and fetch our 

 own game, save in the case of Point or Bar Shooting, when a 

 good Water-Dog is absolutely indispensable. To be sure, we 

 may lose an occasional Bird by its falling across a creek or in 

 some other inaccessible place ; but still, we are fully convinced, 

 taking all the chances, we shall have done better at the close of 

 the day without the services of an ordinarily-broken Retriever 

 than with them. We say ordiymrily broken — by which we mean 

 about the best of those that we have ever met with in this 

 countr}'", where gentlemen generally take upon themselves the 

 task of breaking their own Dogs. 



Never lose a Bird, if possible, that you have once marked 

 down, but hunt the Dogs closely about the spot, kicking the 

 stubble or brushwood, if there be any ; don't be in too great a 

 hurry to get over the ground, apd by a little patience, you will 

 often get many shots that your companion in his anxiety has left 



