200 MANUAL FOE YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 



more particularly led by two causes, both of which must 

 often occur in shooting in heavy coverts, especially in sum- 

 mer, when the leaf is full — first, that frequently coming on 

 points unobserved by the shooter, who has lost and cannot 

 find them, they are kept standing such a weary time, on 

 the game, that they become impatient, flush it wilfully, and 

 come away unchidden, because unremarked. 



Second, that the shooter himself, instead of himself 

 walking or beating up his game over the point, as he ought 

 to do, too often, for the sake of securing a shot which, 

 from the badness of ground or thickness of the brake, he 

 would otherwise bo apt to lose, hies the dog on, and 

 encourages him to flush, at one moment, probably punish- 

 ing him for doing the very same thing, some twenty 

 minutes later. 



Thus it is clear that pointers or setters, when in the 

 very best possible training and condition for open shooting, 

 which is their natural work as well as their forte, are not 

 suited for covert shooting. 



It is also clear that covert-shooting is likely to be 

 disadvantageous to their steadiness, and to render them, 

 unless carefully and judiciously hunted, wild and riotous. 



If, on the contrary, they are thoroughly broken and 

 inured to covert shooting, they get into a slow, pottering 

 style of work, lose their range, their speed of foot, and in 

 a great measure their dashing style and carriage. 



Once or twice in a lifetime, one may find a brace of 

 dogs so perfect, so steady, and so well up to all kinds of 

 work, that they will range the opens at full speed, heads 

 up and sterns down, and again when brought into covert 



