258 TEN YEARS OF GAME-KEEPING 



For many years I had a goose which practically 

 was one of my dogs ; she lived with them day 

 and night, and beat them all as a watch-dog. 

 She would take possession of a vacant kennel, 

 and when she wanted to sit, would collect as 

 substitutes for eggs half a bushel or so of bones 

 that the dogs had done with great big marrow- 

 bones were the ones she preferred. The goose 

 never would come farther than just outside the 

 gate, if I were taking dogs with me on a round. 

 But whenever I loosed the whole pack for a frolic 

 in the field adjoining my cottage, unless she were 

 sitting on her precious bones, she would come 

 flying with her great wings and quacking furiously. 

 She would alight in the midst of the rabble, follow 

 the dogs as they tore about and rolled each other 

 over, sometimes almost on top of her, and waddle 

 or fly after them back to their kennels. She took 

 meals with the dogs, and always was first to signal 

 the coming of biscuits. 



My favourite retriever was a dog of a lifetime. 

 I had her from a little puppy ten weeks old. After 

 her first two seasons, I used her for everything, even 

 to catching rabbits in a harvest-field ; and there was 

 not much that was useful at which she did not 

 excel. I believe she was even keener on sport 

 than myself. Provided I were not present, she 

 would go with anyone she knew well- if he had 

 a gun or an iron bar (which meant ratting). She 



