THE COCKING SPANIEL. 203 
small bodies of these active and indefatigable little ani- 
mals is of the most indomitable, and it requires steadiness, 
patience, firmness, equability of temper in the highest 
degree, and at times severity, to break them into disci- 
pline, and to keep them init when broken. But this once 
accomplished, they are all but perfection. 
“There can scarcely be a prettier object,” says Mr. 
Youatt in his admirable work on the dog, “ than this little 
creature, full of activity, and bustling in every direction, 
with his tail erect; and the moment he scents the bird 
expressing his delight by the quivering of every limb, and 
the low eager whimpering which the best breaking cannot 
always subdue. Presently the bird springs, and then he 
shrieks out his ecstasy, startling even the sportsman with 
his sharp, shrill, and strangely expressive bark. 
“The most serious objection to the use of the cocker 
is the difficulty of teaching him to distinguish his game 
and confine himself within bounds; for he will too often 
flush every thing that comes within his reach. It is often 
the practice to attach bells to his collar, that the sports- 
man may know where he is; ”—this precaution is far more 
necessary with the pointer in covert—* but there is an in- 
convenience connected with this, that the noise of the bells 
will often disturb and spring the game before the dog 
comes fairly upon it. 
“Patience and perseverance, with a due mixture of 
kindness and correction, will, however, accomplish a 
great deal in the tuition of the well-bred spaniel. He 
may at first hunt about after every bird that presents 
itself, or chase the interdicted game; if he be immediate- 
