256 TEN YEARS OF GAME-KEEPING 
seeing—no shaking, or snarling, or worrying—just 
a floundering rush, and the rat’s tail and snout 
would be seen on either side of her great jaws. 
More than once I have known this old dog to 
swallow a moderate-sized rat alive, taking it coming 
to her much as a trout takes a fly—plop ! 
I had a rough-haired fox-terrier, who always was 
ready to make friends with anyone; but whenever 
I was waiting out of sight to see who passed a 
certain way, she would give a low, indescribably 
surly growl, as a timely hint for me to be on the 
lookout. A retriever of ordinary working ability, 
if I had my gun, and showed signs of being in 
pursuit of game, would scratch at my gaiters when 
she saw game that she thought I did not. And 
she was able to tell not only whether a hare had 
been hit or not, but whether it had been hit 
enough to render its capture possible. If I shot 
at a hare, and felt certain that I must have hit 
it, no urging in the world would make her try 
for it if she thought otherwise. On the other 
hand, nothing short of physical restraint would 
stop her from giving chase to a hare that ap- 
parently was untouched, if she thought differently. 
She seemed to be able to tell the state of a 
wounded hare after taking its line for a few 
yards. For if she went on, she never came 
back without her hare. By the way, when you 
have a dog that will persist in chasing ground 
