96 EQUIPMENT. 



dog will certainly alarm many ducks that other- 

 wise might have " come in " fearlessly. Cripples, 

 however, should always be secured as soon as pos- 

 sible, and this an old, well-experienced dog will 

 generally do without waiting for orders; often 

 dashing out before the bird has struck the water, 

 knowing full as well as its master, from its man- 

 ner of falling, whether the bird is dead or not, 

 and in such a case it would certainly be folly to 

 detain him. It is really wonderful how soon a 

 dog, if properly taught, will learn to understand 

 his duties, and it would almost seem to compre- 

 hend the reasons for them. I have seen old dogs 

 who were so fully up to their business that they 

 scarcely needed speaking to the whole day, taking 

 unordered a position where they would be screened 

 from sight of the ducks, remaining motionless 

 when they were approaching, and fetching cripples 

 as soon as possible, though leaving dead ducks 

 seemingly unnoticed until ordered to retrieve 

 them. Such a dog, 1 hardly need say, is inval- 

 uable, and never to be found, unless having had 

 great experience with a suitable and competent 

 master. 



When teaching your dog to fetch, insist that 

 he shall deliver into your hand. If taught to 



