40 THE DOG; and how to break him. 



sion?^^ "Oh^ capital. That old dog is a famous 

 one J' "What did you kill?'^ ^y as my question. 

 " Oh ! I killed nothing- with shooting ; but I 

 found a covey ^!' ^ * and after I had missed 

 three or four times,, Bob caught one^ and he after- 

 wards caught a leveret^ and a water-hen/^ The 

 fact is^ master Bob would have played the same 

 game with any indifferent shot ; nor was he a soli- 

 tary instance of a good dog^s taking his own way 

 with a bad marksman. 



Those sportsmen who reside in the country, 

 and have plenty of leisure time, deserve not good 

 dogs if they do not train them themselves ; such 

 as will do this cannot hope to possess dogs 

 of the excellence that they are capable of attain- 

 ing. And to the latter class, in concluding these 

 general observations, I unhesitatingly recommend 

 the use of pointers, convinced that they will be 

 much more likely than setters to gi^e compara- 

 tive satisfaction. In the purchase of dogs mind 

 to have a trial, if practicable ; if not in the shoot- 

 ing season, take a pistol with you, and fire it when 

 the game is found, this will show you if the dog- 

 will stand the gun. There is scarcely any remedy 

 for a dog that has attained some age, when he is 

 afraid of the firing of the gun. One of the finest 

 young dogs I ever saw, and one that would find 

 game in the most splendid style, was useless on 

 this account ; and I tried in vain the better part 

 of a season to cure him of it, without success. 



