PURCHASE OF DOGS 289 



however, they do invariably return, without fail, unless 

 they are untrained ; and if the ' lure ' is left, or thrown 

 up in sight of them on their return, they will at once 

 see it and light on it. I have recovered falcons which 

 I never expected to see again by going out into the 

 open field, where I had lost them in the morning, just 

 in the gloaming, and throwing up the lure, when the 

 delinquent would at once come out of some tree, or off 

 some rock, and come to the lure, unless over-gorged, 

 when some days might elapse before it could be retaken. 



If it is necessary to purchase dogs, and the intending 

 purchaser is at the mercy of dog-dealers, I strongly 

 advise him to insist on havinsf a trial of the do^f offered 

 him, unless he has seen it at work in the field and can 

 thoroughly trust the dealer. No sensible person 

 would care to purchase a dog for his appearance only, 

 and appearance is very deceptive. What is wanted is 

 nose, pace, and staying-power. I have owned several 

 dogs whose appearance was all it could be, with good 

 noses and a grand style of hunting ; but the instant the 

 Scotch mists came on, the fine-coated, silken-eared 

 beauties curled up for the rest of the day. 



Many people, including some of our best judges of 

 dogs, are at times taken in by the appearance of a dog, 

 and I myself have even shot over dogs for the earlier 

 part of a season before I have discovered that they 

 were deficient in nose. This constantly happens to 

 beginners, who often attribute their want of sport to 

 scarcity of birds, bad scenting weather — everything 

 but the true cause. Pace and staying power are ob- 

 tained without any trouble, but nose is the most essen- 

 tial quality for a dog to possess, and the most difficult 

 to secure and to prove. The best way of proving 



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