158 SHOOTING THE PARTRIDGE 
leaves a head-keeper no time for the breaking of dogs, 
still less for the instruction of his subordinates in such 
an art. We have advanced in this as in other things, 
and must pay a penalty for our progress. We have 
more knowledge, more game, better management and 
better shooting, but incomparably worse dogs. 
I can only offer one suggestion to remedy this 
state of things, which occurs to me irresistibly when- 
ever I am lucky enough to stay with men who can 
afford to do their shooting on a handsome scale, and 
I believe it would pay even those who cannot afford 
in any way to add to their expenses. This is toemploy 
a man—call him dog-man, under-keeper, or what you 
will, which merely means that he would be under the 
authority of the head-keeper—who should devote 
himself entirely to the breaking of your dogs, and on 
shooting days to attendance on the guns and retriev- 
ing the game. Of course, I am now more particu- 
larly speaking of England and partridge-shooting, for 
the same class of man, though devoted entirely to 
pointers and setters, is to be found on many well- 
ordered estates in Scotland. 
It is really lamentable to any one who has ex- 
perience of shooting by the side of well-broken and 
well-handled retrievers, to see the modern under- 
keeper, with very limited knowledge of working birds, 
