f their business, sagaciously thinking that such departure
from rule must be acceptable if it tends to obtain the game; and it will
be advisable to leave an experienced dog to himself whenever he evinces
great perseverance in spontaneously following some unusual plan. You may
have seen an old fellow, instead of cautiously "roading" and "pointing
dead," rush forward and seize an unfortunate winged bird, while it was
making the best use of its legs after the flight of the rest of the
covey--some peculiarity in the scent emitted having probably betrayed to
the dog's _practised_ nose that the bird was injured. When your pup
arrives at such years of discrimination, you need not so vigorously insist
upon a patient "down charge" should you see a winged cock-pheasant running
into cover. Your dog's habits of discipline would be, I should hope, too
well confirmed by his previous course of long drill for such a temporary
departure from rule to effect any permanent mischief; but oh! beware of
any such laxity with a _young_ pupil, however strongly you may be tempted.
In five minutes you may wholly undo the labor of a month. On days,
therefore, when you are anxious, _coute qui coute_, to fill the game-bag,
pray leave him at home. Let him acquire any bad habit when you are thus
pressed for birds, and you will have more difficulty in eradicating it
than you would have in teaching him almost any accomplishment. This reason
made me all along keep steadily in view the supposition, that you had
commenced with a dog unvitiated by evil associates, either biped or
quadruped; for assuredly you would find it far easier to give a thoroughly
good education to such a pupil, than to complete the tuition (particularly
in his range) of one usually considered broken, and who must, in the
natural order of things, have acquired some habits more or less opposed to
your own system. If, as a puppy, he had been allowed to self-hunt and
chase, your labor would be herculean. And inevitably this would have been
your task had you ever allowed him to associate with any dog who
"self-hunted." The oldest friend in your kennel might be led astray by
forming an intimacy with the veriest cur, if a "self-hunter." There is a
fascination in the vice--above all, in killing young hares and
rabbits--that the steadiest dog cannot resist when he has been persuaded
to join in the sport by some vagabond of a poacher possessing a tolerable
nose, rendered keenly discerning by exper