86 BREAKING A BIRD DOG 
with her every effort to make a stand came 
the realization that the bird was still mov¬ 
ing. Finally she dared not work closer 
straight ahead. It became necessary to 
back up very carefully and make a cast to 
right or left and come in again. I think she 
must have pointed at least six or eight times 
—only to back up and work in again from a 
new angle before she forced that pheasant 
to stop so she could make a sturdy stand. 
Mr. King remarked particularly about 
Byrd’s splendid head work in this instance 
and that was most gratifying to me, for I 
knew that he has seen dogs work for almost 
fifty years, all over this country, from Maine 
to Florida, and even on the far-away Dakota 
prairies in the old days. These compliments 
were especially appreciated later when I re¬ 
alized beyond all doubt that Mr. King meant 
what he said—for, in relating the experiences 
of our shoot to my boy, he dwelt at some 
length upon his description of that particular 
incident, explaining it all in careful detail so 
that the boy might both understand and ap¬ 
preciate the quality of the performance. It 
was unquestionably a delicate job well done. 
