286 MANUAL FOR YOUNG SPORTSMEN. 
great difficulty in this, as woodcock, early in the season, lie 
extremely hard, and will not ordinarily take wing until 
they are actually forced to do so. 
Colonel Hutchinson, in his admirable work on dog- 
breaking, recommends that every dog should be trained to 
advance towards his master and flush his bird, on a signal 
given him by a beckon, or inward wafture of the hand, 
and instances the great advantage to be derived from 
such a habit, both in wild snipe-shooting in the open, and 
in American cock-shooting in heavy covert. 
I have only to say, that I have never seen a dog broken 
to this movement. I will not say that it cannot be done, 
for I am well aware that, by a patient, persevering, clever, 
steady breaker, there is scarcely any thing, short of speak-. 
ing, which an intelligent and good-tempered dog may not 
be brought to do; and there is no doubt, but that, by 
implicitly following the Colonel’s directions, this is one of . 
the things that can be taught; but there can be little 
question that it is one of the most difficult points to 
which properly to educate an animal, since, when he is 
once accustomed to be so waved onward, he will uncon- 
sciously become so impatient, that he will be sorely tempt- 
ed to anticipate the signal, and rush in. 
For my own part, looking above all to the paramount 
necessity of keeping the dog steady and stanch, I have 
leaned to the habit of never allowing my dogs themselves 
to flush their game, under any circumstances. 
When at point, I have always gone in, or gone up to 
them, and then made them road on foot by foot, myself. 
