SHOOTING 313 



turned into stone, ears pricked and eyes almost 

 starting out of his head with excitement ; then his 

 companion backing steadily, the attitude the same? 

 but no eagerness shown ; the rapid shots, and the 

 dogs both down in an instant, — all this is delight- 

 ful to witness, but is very seldom seen now-a-days. 

 After the first week dogs are very little use, the 

 birds will not lie to them ; high farming, with its 

 machine-cut stubbles, clean ploughs, and widely- 

 drilled root-crops, has almost abolished shooting 

 over dogs. The birds will not wait on the bare 

 stubbles, and if you get them into roots, the rattle 

 of the leaves when the dogs are at work is a signal 

 for their flight. The only chance is where seeds 

 have been sown in barley ; then the reaping-machine 

 cannot be set very low or it clogs, and in this there 

 is fair lying ; but as for the fine stubbles knee-high 

 that our fathers enjoyed, and the broadcast turnips 

 — why, they have gone, and pointers and setters 

 have, alas, nearly disappeared with them. 



When the birds have become so wild that they 

 will not lie to the dogs at all, the best and most 

 sportsmanlike way is to walk them up ; but to do 

 this with any success requires a man to be in excel- 

 lent training. Walking over fallows deeply ploughed 

 by steam-power is no joke, and the birds invariably 

 select these. Your plan is to have about four guns 



