GENERAL OBSERYATIOXS. 39 



paiiion — in doors and ont : by being thus con- 

 tinually together^ tlie dog will acquire a knowledge 

 of what is said to him^ that would almost lead one 

 to suppose that oidy the faculty of speech was 

 v> anting to enable him to reply. By being made 

 a companion of, and kindly treated^ he will the 

 more readily perform every task assigned to him 

 than if he were continually in the kennel^ or taken 

 thence to his duties in the field. 



It is not well for a dog to have many masters. 

 I would never lend dog, horse^ or gun to any one, 

 unless I knew the party well indeed. I\Iake this 

 a rule_, and it ^vill save you a great deal of morti- 

 fication. 



A good dog will not long hunt in a satisfactory 

 manner for a bad shot ; nor will an animal,, 

 originally well trained, long remember his lessons 

 if he pass into the hands of an indifferent shot. 

 It is not absolutely necessary that a cl()(i-hreaker 

 should be a good shot; but as soon as the dog- 

 gets to know what^s what, unless bu'ds are killed 

 to him, he will try to kill them himself. In the 

 year 1833, or 1834, I was in the habit of shooting 

 in company with a friend (a very indifferent shot) 

 in northern Cheshire. One day we had aj)pointed 

 to go out, but business prevented m}^ so doing, 



and my friend, Mr. C 1, sallied forth with my 



old favourite pointer alone. On seeing him the 

 next day, "Well, C ,'' said I, "what diver- 



