POINTERS AND SETTERS. 295 
as (1) “hunting too low,” leading to “ pottering or dwelling on 
the foot-scent;” (2) hunting too wide from the breaker; and 
(3) “blinking,” or leaving the game as soon as found, which last 
is a fault depending on undue previous severity. With regard to 
the first of them, there is, unfortunately, no certain remedy for it; 
and the puppy which shows it to any great extent after a week or 
ten days’ breaking will seldom be good for much, in spite of all the 
skill and trouble which an experienced breaker can apply.. The 
method of cure most commonly adopted is that called hunting with 
a “puzzle-peg” on, which is shown applied in the annexed cut. 
It consists of a piece of strong wood, such as ash or oak, attached 
to the neck by a leather collar, and to the jaw by a string tied just 
behind the tusks or canine teeth, so as to constitute a firm projec- 
tion in continuation of the lower jaw; and as it extends from six 
to nine inches beyond it, the dog cannot put his nose nearer 
to the ground than that amount of projection will allow of. The 
young dog should be well accustomed to it in kennel and in the 
field, before he is hunted in it; for when it is put on for the first 
time it inevitably “cows” him so much as to stop all disposition 
to range ; but by putting it on him for an hour or two daily while 
he is at liberty and not expected to hunt, he soon becomes toler- 
ably reconciled to it, and will set off on his range when ordered or 
allowed. With it on a foot-scent can seldom be made out, unless 
pretty strong; but, at all events, the dog does not stoop to make 
it out in that spaniel-like style which occasions its adoption. 
Nevertheless, when it is left off the old tendency to stcop most 
frequently reappears, more or less, and the sportsman finds that all 
his care has been thrown away. Still, I have known it cure this 
fault, and if it fails I have no other suggestion to offer but sixpenny- 
worth of cord or “a bole in the water.” If used at all, it must 
be kept on for many days together, that is to say, while at work ; 
and when left off it should be occasionally reapplied if the dog 
shows the slightest tendency to put his nose down or dwell on the 
scent where birds have been rising or have “gone away.” I 
may here remark that “false pointing” is altogether different 
from this low hunting, though often coupled with it; but this we 
shall come to after describing the nature of, and mode of teach- 
ing, that part of the pointer’s education. There is a wonderful 
