IDEAS ON DOG-BREAKING. 265 



be inculcated at home. To familiarize the dog witli 

 the gun I liave been in the habit of taking a ])istol 

 with me to the kennel, and all the youngsters being 

 called into the yard, fire it, making all drop to shot ; 

 after having kept them a sufficient time down, I 

 would cause the food to be brought in, and with a 

 wave of the hand permit them to rise and have their 

 grub. To have to shout " down," keeping an eye at 

 the same time on each of your dogs so as to enforce 

 the order if necessary, is very unsportsmanlike, and 

 certainly very much out of place when all your 

 powers of vision and observation are indispensable 

 to mark where the departing covey are going to 

 pitch, or the dead and wounded drop. 



When seeking for a wounded or killed bird never 

 allow your dogs to know that you have been unsuc- 

 cessful : if you have given as long a time as you can 

 spare for the purpose and see no ultimate prospect of 

 finding, take one of your bagged birds and drop it 

 when the dog is engaged, then cast back that he may 

 wind it, and thus believe that his search has not been 

 fruitless. 



The setters most in vogue at the present day I do 



not like nearly as much as those that were preferred 



fifteen years ago, for this reason, that they appear to 

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