lo6 THE RABBIT 



entirely under the direction of their owners, and not 

 be confused by directions given by other people, who 

 are often too prone to tell a dog what to do instead 

 of leaving him alone to his own devices, which are 

 much more likely to lead him right if he is a good 

 bred one, and has been properly handled. Nor 

 should the impetuous young sportsman who sees his 

 winged pheasant or dead rabbit in the mouth of a 

 retriever be in a hurry to take it from him. The dog 

 should be allowed to carry it straight back to the 

 man who sent him, and whom he knows. Not only 

 is this much better for the dog, which is then not con- 

 fused, but it will prove a considerable saving of time 

 in the course of a day's shooting, especially if the 

 object be a big bag and there be much ground to 

 get over. 



It is not our intention to attempt here anything 

 like directions for covert-shooting, for not only would 

 this be superfluous in the eyes of readers who know 

 a great deal more about it than the writer, but it 

 would be out of place in a volume designed to treat 

 exclusively of the rabbit. Moreover, this part of the 

 subject will be found full)- dealt with by masters of 

 the craft in the volumes which have already appeared 

 on the ' Pheasant ' and ' Hare.' 



We may content ourselves with a few observations 



