694 MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY 



one proof among many, showing that dogs are en- 

 dowed with some wonderful instinctive knowledge, by 

 which they can traverse with unerring certainty a 

 country with which they are unacquainted, in pursuit 

 of their master or former home. He says — " I took 

 a spaniel, bred in London, forty-eight miles in the 

 close rumble-tumble of a chaise into Essex, where 

 she remained with me some months. During the 

 journey she was only once taken out of this close 

 confinement for a few minutes in an inn yard. She 

 proved useless as a sporting dog, and I gave her 

 to a friend to breed from, who was on a visit with me. 

 I accompanied him on his return from Essex, and she 

 was brought back with us exactly in a similar manner 

 to that in which she had been before taken ; and it is 

 most certain, that neither in going nor coming did she 

 ever see twenty yards of the road. On our arrival in 

 London she was removed to my friend's kennel, from 

 whence she contrived to escape during the night, by 

 digging her way out in a most extraordinary manner, 

 and travelled the whole forty-eight miles back into 

 Essex so expeditiously, that a servant found her at 

 the door of my residence in the country, in the 

 morning when she arose. The bitch remained at 

 large during the day ; but finding I was not in the 

 country, she again set off in the evening, and returned 

 to London ; and in the morning once more presented 

 herself at my friend's house in search of me." 



THE COCKER. 



This dog is considerably smaller than the springer, 

 and is generally used for woodcock and snipe shooting. 

 His diminutive size peculiarly fits him for ranging 

 in low, thick coverts, for which purpose nature seems 

 particularly to have adapted him. 



