DOGS I HAVE KNOWN 73 



my wife, when we were first married, was most 

 amusing. She could not bear to see us sitting 

 together, and if I sat by my wife on a sofa, would 

 get upon it, scramble on to my shoulders, walk 

 round the back of my neck, and try to squeeze 

 herself down between us. She was, too, a capital 

 sporting dog, though for a long time I was afraid 

 to take her out, as she was so like a rabbit or hare 

 when moving through long grass or corn that I 

 feared I might perhaps shoot her accidentally. 

 However, she was always so very anxious to come 

 with me that at length I took her, and she was 

 quite invaluable. Birds that would rise and be off 

 at once, if you had a pointer or setter with you, 

 appeared either not to notice her or be fascinated 

 by her. I knew directly I entered a field with her 

 whether there were birds or not, and she would 

 take me straight to them. She also retrieved 

 beautifully. The first time I found out her powers 

 in this way I had shot two partridges, right and 

 left, and to my great disgust both were runners and 

 got into some standing corn. Fanny seemed very 

 anxious to go after them, so I let her go after one 

 that I had marked clown, and off she scampered, 

 and to my great delight and surprise soon came 

 back with it. On my taking it from her, she darted 

 off again and in a little while returned with the 



