f
ranging. If, as a youngster, he has been permitted to beat as his fancy
dictated, and _has not been instructed in looking to the gun for orders_,
you will have great, very great difficulty in reclaiming him. Probably he
will have adopted a habit of running for a considerable distance up wind,
his experience having shown him that it is one way of finding birds, but
not having taught him that to seek for them by crossing the wind would be
a better method.

The great advantage of teaching a dog to point the instant he is sensible
of the presence of birds--175--and of not creeping a foot further until he
is directed by you, is particularly apparent when birds are wild. While he
remains steady, the direction of his nose will lead you to give a
tolerable guess as to their "whereabouts," and you and your companion can
keep quite wide of the dog--one on each side,--and so approach the birds
from both flanks. They, meanwhile, finding themselves thus intercepted in
three directions, will probably lie so close as to afford a fair shot to
at least one gun, for they will not fail to see the dog and be awed by his
presence. Raise your feet well off the ground to avoid making a noise.
Walk quickly, but with no unnecessary flourish, of arms or gun.

197. You must not, however, too often try to work round and head your
pupil when he is pointing. Judgment is required to know when to do it with
advantage. If the birds were running, you would completely throw him out,
and greatly puzzle and discourage him, for they probably would then rise
out of shot, behind you if they were feeding up wind,--behind him if they
were feeding down wind. Far more frequently make him work out the scent by
his own sagacity and nose, and lead you up to the birds, every moment
bristling more and more, at a pace entirely controlled and regulated by
your signals. These being given with your right hand will be more
apparent to him if you place yourself on his left side. It is in this
manner that you give him a lesson which will _hereafter_ greatly aid him
in recovering slightly winged birds,--in pressing to a rise the
slow-winged, but nimble-heeled rail,--or in minutely following the devious
mazes through which an old cock pheasant, or yet more, an old cock grouse,
may endeavor to mislead him. And yet this lesson should not be given
before he is tolerably confirmed at his point, lest he should push too
fast on the scent; and make a rush more like the dash of a co