Dog Breaking / The Most Expeditious, Certain, and Easy Method, Whether Great Excellence or Only Mediocrity Be Required, With Odds and Ends for Those Who Love the Dog and Gun

The keeper just spoken of used to rear his pheasants within doors, or rather in an outhouse, the floor of which was in part covered with sods of turf,—but I think J——s T——n, another of the craft whom I know well, pursues a better and far less troublesome plan. He selects a piece of clover[120] facing the south, and sheltered from the north and east winds by a contiguous small copse which he feels assured can harbour no destructive vermin. On this grass-plat, if the weather is fine, he places the common barn-door hens,—each with her brood the moment they are hatched,—under separate small coops. Two or three boards run from each coop, forming a temporary enclosure, which is removed in about a week on the little inmates gaining strength. If he has any fear of their being carried off by hawks, &c., he fixes a net overhead. The hens had sat on the eggs in an outhouse.

The first food given to the chicks is soaked bread,—and white of eggs cut up fine. The colour (is not that a bull?) catches their eye, which is the alleged reason for all their food being given to them white. Ants’ nests are procured for them,—of the red ant first,—of the larger kind, when the chicks become so strong that the insects cannot injure them—later in the season, wasps’ nests. When there is a difficulty in procuring any of these nests, curd is often given; but should it become sour, as frequently happens in hot weather, it is likely to occasion dysentery,[121] therefore oatmeal porridge made with milk is considered a safer diet. This is eagerly picked up when scattered about, sprinkled as it were,—and the weaker chicks are thus enabled to secure a fair share. T——n breeds a quantity of maggots for them,—and at no expense,—in the adjacent copse. Whatever vermin he kills (whether winged or four-footed) he hangs up under a slight awning as a protection from the rain. On the flesh decaying the maggots drop into the box placed underneath to receive them. The insects soon become clean, if sand and bran is laid at the bottom of the box, and it is an interesting sight to see the excited little birds eagerly hurrying from all quarters to the grass-plat on the keeper striking the tray with his knuckles to invite them to partake of some choice maggots, spread out on sanded boards.

If a piece of carrion is placed under a wire netting near the coops, the chicks will feed with avidity on the flies it attracts.

Change of food is beneficial:—therefore, boiled barley or rice, is often substituted, or oatmeal, or Indian-corn meal,—mixed with the flesh of boiled rabbits.

Saucers of clean water are placed about. Water in a dirty state is very injurious. It is not of any depth, lest the chicks should wet their feathers when standing in it. Occasionally iron saucers are used, ingeniously designed on the ridge and furrow plan. The ridges are so little apart, that the chicks can insert no more than their heads into the furrows. As cleanliness must in all things be preserved, the coops are shifted a few feet aside twice a day.

The chicks soon quit the hens to roost in the shrubs, which afford welcome shade during the mid-day heat; but the imprisoned matrons are still useful, as their plaintive call prevents the chicks from becoming irreclaimable truants. As they have always the opportunity of running in the grass and copse, where they find seeds and insects, they quickly become independent, and learn to forage for themselves,—yet when fully grown up they are not so likely to stray away as birds who have been more naturally reared, and who have been made wanderers even in their infancy. This is a great advantage.

That the chicks may come upon fresh ground for seeds and insects, the situation of the coops may be occasionally changed. If liable to be attacked by vermin at night, a board can be fixed in front of each coop.

Partridges may be reared by the same means. But instances are rare of their laying while in a state of captivity.

That the young birds may be able to rid their bodies of vermin, they should be provided with small heaps of sand protected from rain, and dry earth, in which they will gladly rub themselves.

If you design rearing pheasants annually, always keep a few of the tame hens and a cock at home. By judicious management these will supply a large quantity of eggs for hatching,—eggs that you can ensure, when in their freshest state, being placed under barn-door hens. Keep the eggs in a cool place. I cannot believe that you will ever be guilty—for it is guilt, great guilt—of the sin of purchasing eggs. “Buyers make thieves,”—and one sneaking, watching, unwinged pilferer on two legs would do more mischief in the month of May than dozens of magpies or hooded crows.

Pheasants so soon hunt for their own subsistence, that they are brought to maturity at less expense than common fowls.

Since the publication of the second edition, I have had an opportunity of talking to Mr. Cantelo, the clever inventor of the novel hatching machine, whereby (following nature’s principle) heat is imparted only to the upper surface of eggs. He annually rears a large quantity of all kinds of poultry, besides partridges and pheasants, and I believe no one in England is so experienced in these matters.

He found it best not to give food to any kind of chicks for the two first days after they were hatched. As they would not all break the shell together, it is probable that in a state of nature many of them would be for, at least, this period under the hen before she led them forth to feed. To young turkeys and pheasants he gave no food for three days. They would then eat almost anything voraciously, whereas, when fed sooner, they become dainty and fastidious.

He recommends that the lean of raw beef, or any meat (minced fine, as if for sausages) be given to partridge or pheasant chicks, along with their other food,[122] or rather before their other food, and only in certain quantities; for if they are fed too abundantly on what they most relish, they are apt to gorge themselves, and they will seldom refuse meat, however much grain they may have previously eaten. He said that they should be liberally dieted, but not to repletion,—that once a day they should be sensible of the feeling of hunger.

It certainly is most consonant to nature, that the flesh given to the chicks should not be cooked; and Mr. Cantelo observed that it would be immediately found on trial, that young birds prefer that which is undressed,—nay, that which has a bloody appearance.

He considers maggots (gentles) an admirable diet, and he gave me a valuable hint about them. This is, that they be fattened on untainted meat, placed in the sand-box into which they fall. The pieces of meat will soon be drilled like a honey-comb, and the little crawlers, by becoming in a day or two large and fat, will prove a far more nourishing diet than when given in the attenuated state to which they are commonly reduced, by the present starving process of cleansing.

Mr. Cantelo has remarked that guinea-birds require food at an earlier period after they are hatched than any other sort of chick,—and that they and ducklings eat most meat,—turkey-poultry least.

Wet is injurious to all chickens (the duck-tribe excepted); and when the hen, from being confined, cannot lead her brood astray, they will, of themselves, return to her coop on finding the grass too damp.

Mr. Cantelo is strongly of opinion, that all diseases to which infant birds are liable are contagious. He advises, in consequence, that the moment any one of the brood is attacked with diarrhœa, sore eyes, or sneezing, it be instantly separated from the others.

He considers all chickens safe from ordinary diseases on their gaining their pen-feathers.

He has found that nest eggs, not sat on for twelve hours, do not lose their vitality. This shows that eggs taken by mowers should not be hastily thrown away, in consequence of a considerable delay unavoidably occurring before they can be placed under a hen to complete their hatching.

Pheasants sit about five days longer than common fowls.

Mr. Cantelo recommends that eggs sent from a distance be packed in oats. He had succeeded in hatching some he had kept, as an experiment, upwards of two months in a temperate atmosphere, turning them daily. This continued vitality is, however, seldom a consideration as regards pheasants; for the earlier in the season the birds can be produced the better. It is a great advantage to have five months’ growth and feed in them by the first of October.

Mr. Knox, in his interesting work on “Game-birds and Wildfowl,” has given some good advice about the rearing and preservation of pheasants. I will make some extracts from it, and, I think, many would do well to read the whole book.

With respect to a pheasantry for procuring eggs, he is of opinion that in March,—the time when the cocks begin to fight,—the enclosure containing the stock of birds should be divided, by high hurdles, or wattles, into partitions, so that each cock may be told off with three hens into a distinct compartment. He advises that no harem should be greater in a state of confinement. His opportunities for forming a correct judgment have probably been greater than mine; but I must observe that I have known of ladies, kept in such small seraglios, being worried to death. “The larger the compartments,” he says, “the better;” “a heap of bushes and a mound of dry sand in each;” an attendant to visit them once (and but once) a day, to take in the food of “barley, beans, peas, rice, or oats; boiled potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, and Swedish turnips;”[123] and to remove whatever eggs may have been laid during the preceding twenty-four hours.

The accidental destruction of the net overhanging Mr. Knox’s pheasantry, and the escape of the cocks, led to his ascertaining a fact of much importance; viz. that pinioned hens (one wing amputated at the carpal joint—“the wounds soon healed”) kept in an unroofed enclosure, near a cover, into which (what are called) “tame-bred pheasants” have been turned, will always attract sufficient mates—mates in a more healthy state than confined birds,—and that the eggs will be more numerous, and unusually productive.

I can easily imagine that such matrimonial alliances are sure to be formed wherever the opportunity offers; and if I were establishing a pheasantry, I would adopt the plan Mr. Knox recommends, unless withheld by the fear that more than one cock might gain admittance to the hens; for I am aware of facts which incline me to think, that, in such instances, the eggs may be unserviceable. At a connexion’s of mine, where the poultry-yard lies close to a copse, hybrid chickens have often been reared—the offspring of barn-door hens and cock-pheasants not tame-bred.

Mr. Knox elsewhere observes, that the hen-pheasants kept in confinement should be tame-bred; that is, be “birds which have been hatched and reared under domestic hens, as those which are netted, or caught, in a wild state, will always prove inefficient layers.” “About the fourth season a hen’s oviparous powers begin to decline, although her maternal qualifications, in other respects, do not deteriorate until a much later period. It is, therefore, of consequence to enlist, occasionally, a few recruits, to supply the place of those females who have completed their third year, and who then may be set at large in the preserves.” Of course, not those birds who have had the forehand of a wing amputated.

Talking of ants’ eggs, which Mr. Knox terms “the right hand of the keeper” in rearing pheasant chicks—it is the first food to be given to them—Mr. Knox says, “Some persons find it difficult to separate the eggs from the materials of the nest. The simplest mode is, to place as much as may be required—ants, eggs, and all—in a bag or light sack, the mouth of which should be tied up. On reaching home, a large white sheet should be spread on the grass, and a few green boughs placed round it on the inside, over which the outer edge of the sheet should be lightly turned; this should be done during sunshine. The contents of the bag should then be emptied into the middle, and shaken out so as to expose the eggs to the light. In a moment, forgetting all considerations of personal safety, these interesting little insects set about removing their precious charge—the cocoons—from the injurious rays of the sun, and rapidly convey them under the shady cover afforded by the foliage of the boughs near the margin of the sheet. In less than ten minutes the work will be completed. It is only necessary then to remove the branches; and the eggs, or cocoons, may be collected by handfuls, unencumbered with sticks, leaves, or any sort of rubbish.”

Mr. Knox goes on to say, that “green tops of barley, leeks, boiled rice, Emden groats, oatmeal, &c.,” are excellent diet for the chicks, but that this kind of food is “almost always given at too early a period. In a state of nature, their food, for a long time, would be wholly insectile.” “Now, as it is not in our power to procure the quantity and variety of small insects and larvæ which the mother-bird so perseveringly and patiently finds for them, we are obliged to have recourse to ants’ eggs, as easily accessible, and furnishing a considerable supply of the necessary sort of aliment in a small compass.”

“When the chicks are about a week or ten days old, Emden groats and coarse Scotch oatmeal may be mixed with the ants’ eggs; and curds, made from fresh milk, with alum, are an excellent addition. If ants’ nests cannot be procured in sufficient quantities, gentles should occasionally be given.”

When more wasps’ nests are obtained than are required for immediate use, “it will be necessary to bake them for a short time in an oven. This will prevent the larvæ and nymphs from coming to maturity,—in fact, kill them—and the contents of the combs will keep for some weeks afterwards. Hempseed, crushed and mingled with oatmeal, should be given them when about to wean them from an insect diet. Hard boiled eggs, also, form a useful addition, and may be mixed, for a long time, with their ordinary farinaceous food.”

“Young pheasants are subject to a kind of diarrhœa, which often proves fatal. If the disease be taken in time, boiled milk and rice, in lieu of any other diet, will generally effect a cure. To these chalk may be added, to counteract the acidity which attends this complaint; and should the symptoms be very violent, a small quantity of alum, as an astringent.”

This treatment appears reasonable. Many consider rice a judicious diet in such cases; and I know of a surgeon’s giving boiled milk with great success, in the West Indies, to patients suffering from diarrhœa.

“But the most formidable disease from which the young pheasant suffers is that known by the name of ‘the gapes:’—so termed from the frequent gaping efforts of the bird to inhale a mouthful of air. Chickens and turkeys are equally liable to be affected by it; and it may be remarked, that a situation which has been used, for many successive seasons, as a nursery ground, is more apt to be visited with this plague, than one which has only recently been so employed. Indeed, I have observed that it seldom makes its appearance on a lawn or meadow during the first season of its occupation; and, therefore, when practicable, it is strongly to be recommended, that fresh ground should be applied to the purpose every year: and when this cannot be done, that a quantity of common salt should be sown broadcast over the surface of the earth, after the birds have left it in the autumn.” He elsewhere describes the gapes as that “dreadful scourge, which, like certain diseases that affect the human subject, seems to have been engendered and fostered by excessive population within a limited district.”

“Dissection has proved that the latent cause of this malady is a minute worm of the genius fasciola, which is found adhering to the internal part of the windpipe, or trachea.” Then Mr. Knox explains how this worm may be destroyed; (and only by such means,—the most delicate operator being unable to extract it without materially injuring the young bird)—viz. by fumigating with tobacco-smoke, according to the method (which he fully describes) recommended by Colonel Montagu. If the worm is not destroyed, the death of the bird ensues “by suffocation from the highly inflamed state of the respiratory apparatus.”

I once kept many guinea-birds when abroad; and I am now convinced that I should have succeeded in rearing a far greater number, had I adopted more closely the mode of feeding, &c., here recommended for young pheasants.

In July, ’57, I saw in a large clover field at Sandling, East Kent, 820 pheasant chicks which had been reared by M——n under sixty-six common hens. It was a very interesting sight. I accompanied him round all the coops. They stood about twenty paces apart, and I could not detect a single bird with a drooping wing or of sickly appearance. He told me most positively that he had not lost one by disease, but a few had been trodden under foot by careless, awkward hens, and, what seems curious, some few chicks on quitting the shell had been intentionally killed by the very hens which had hatched them. A hatching hen will sometimes thus destroy ducklings,—but these are far more unlike her natural progeny than are pheasant chicks. M——n found that game-fowls make the best mothers—Cochin-china the worst. He has a prejudice,—how doctors differ! against maggots and ants’ nests. However, he has a right to his notions, for he lost hardly any birds in the year ’56, out of the 400 and upwards that broke the shell. He devotes himself to what, with him, is a labour of love. He has great, and just pride in his success. He maintains that pheasants can be reared cheaper than barn-door fowls, wherever there are woods, as the chicks find their own food at such an early age. The rearing of the birds that I saw and about fifty partridge-chicks, occupied the whole of his time and that of an assistant. There was also a boy to cook, &c. The chicks were fed every two hours throughout the day with a mixture of hard boiled eggs,[124] curds, bread-crumbs, rape and canary seed. The shutter of each hutch doing duty as a tray for the food. After the chicks had fed M——n made his rounds, and scraped into a pot all that was not consumed, being careful that nothing was left to get sour. He gave a small portion of these remains to the imprisoned matrons. He feeds the chicks liberally, yet calculates to a great nicety what will be eaten, for on every shutter a portion, but a very small portion of food was left. Water, kept in earthenware pans made with concentric circles on the ridge and furrow system, was placed at intervals between the hutches. Many times a day he moved the several coops a few feet to fresh ground. At night when all the chicks have joined the hens he fastens the shutters, and does not remove them in the morning until the dew is off the grass. How entirely is this practice opposed to the advice of the Yorkshireman given at the commencement of this note! and yet it might be possible to reconcile the contradictory recommendations by supposing that as soon as the young birds have nearly reached maturity they are allowed to search for insects at the earliest dawn. M——n’s last location for the hutches would be in the centre of the landlord’s property, and they would not be taken away until the hens were quite abandoned by the young pheasants—which in general would be at the end of August. Differing much from Mr. Knox, it was M——n’s practice to keep as many as five hens with one cock for the purpose of obtaining eggs. I observed that some hutches possessed a disproportionate number of inmates. This had arisen from the hutches having been placed in too close proximity before the chicks had the sense to know their respective foster-mothers.

Remarking once after a good battue in cover upon the fine condition of the birds spread in a long array on the lawn for the inspection of the ladies, I was told that the keeper greatly attributed their size and weight to keeping ridge and furrow pans near their feeding places constantly filled with bark-water. He used to boil from a quarter to half a pound of oak-bark in two gallons of water until it was reduced to half the quantity. After once tasting it the pheasants become fond of it, their natural instinct telling them the advantages of the tonic. A cross with the true China makes the young birds hardy and wild. The brilliancy of the plumage is much increased but not the size of the birds. However long Chinese pheasants may be kept in confinement they will be alarmed at the sight of strangers.

Note to 537.—Setters.—Poachers.—Keepers.—Netting Partridges.—Bloodhounds.—Night-dogs.

At two o’clock on a frosty December morning in ’44, when the wind blew bitterly cold from the east, Mr. B——e, of S——d, Warwickshire, was called up by the keepers of a neighbour, Mr. W——n, and informed that some poachers were shooting pheasants in a plantation belonging to Mr. B——e, whose keepers were on the look-out in a different direction. They and Mr. W——n’s had agreed to work in concert, and mutually assist each other.

Mr. B——e instantly dressed, and went out with his brother (Captain B——), and the butler, making a party of eight, including Mr. W——n’s keepers. They took with them a couple of trained bloodhounds in long cords, a regular night-dog, and a young bloodhound which had broken loose, and, unsolicited, had volunteered his services.

On entering the plantation, it was found that the poachers, having become alarmed, had made off. Two of the keepers remained to watch. The bloodhounds were laid on the scent. They took it up steadily, and the rest of the party followed in keen pursuit. As the poachers had not been seen, their number was unknown, but it was supposed to be about six from the report of the guns.

Notwithstanding the cold east wind and sharp frost the hounds hunted correctly, for about three miles, across fields, and along foot-paths and roads, until they came to a wood of three hundred acres. They took the scent into the heart of it, evincing great eagerness. Here the hunt became most exciting, for the poachers were heard in the front crashing through the branches. A council of war was held, which unluckily ended, as many councils of war do, in coming to a wrong decision. It was resolved to divide forces, and endeavour to head the enemy. Captain B——e, two men and one of the old hounds, turned down a ride towards which the poachers seemed to be inclining; while the others continued the direct chase. The poachers, however, soon broke cover, but had not run across many fields ere they were overtaken. The clear, bright moon showed eight well-armed men,—rather a disproportionate force for the attacking three. A fight ensued. The young hound and the watch-dog were shot. Mr. B——e was lamed, and his two men being a good deal hurt, the poachers triumphed and resumed their flight. On Captain B——e rejoining the baffled party the pursuit was renewed for nine miles,—the dogs carrying the scent the whole way into Coventry, where they were stopped.

It was now half-past seven. Many early risers were about the streets; the police offered to point out the poachers, provided their identity could be sworn to. The hounds were stopped. Two men were apprehended—(a third escaped from the police)—were lodged in jail, and subsequently convicted and sentenced to eighteen months’ hard labour. As they had not been seen until the time of the scuffle, which took place fully five miles from Mr. B——e’s plantation, the only evidence to prove they had been poaching there was furnished in the undeviating pursuit of the hounds. The remainder of the gang fled the country.

A farmer, several years ago, sent to the same Mr. B——e to say, that a sheep had been killed and carried off in the night. Six hours, to a certainty,—probably many more,—had elapsed since the animal had been stolen before Mr. B——e could put the only hound he had with him on the scent. The dog, which was loose, hunted very slowly to a barn where the hidden skin was found; and afterwards, without any hesitation, held on the scent from the barn to the residence of a respectable person so wholly beyond all suspicion that the hound was called off. It was so late in the day, and along paths so much frequented, that it was thought the dog must have been hunting other footsteps than those of the real culprit. Mr. B——e at that moment was not aware that the respectable householder had taken in a lodger. This lodger, it subsequently appeared, was the thief, and in bed at the house at the time. Did not the Squire get well laughed at in all the adjacent beer-shops for his softness! However, this hunt, and another not very dissimilar under the head-keeper, effectually suppressed sheep-stealing in that neighbourhood.

The principal initiatory lesson for a bloodhound pup is to teach him to “road” well, as described in 43. He should, too, be perfected in following quietly at “heel.” When commencing to teach him to follow the footsteps of the runner sent on in advance, it will be your aim to make the dog enjoy the scent and carry it on with eagerness. Therefore, that the man’s shoes may prove attractive, have them lightly rubbed with tainted meat (or blood). The savoury application may be progressively diminished in intensity, until at length the pup is guided only by the natural effluvia escaping from the man’s pores. Whenever the dog gets up to him, let it be a rule that he instantly reward the animal liberally with some acceptable delicacy.

After a time the fleetest and most enduring runner should be selected, and the interval between the time of his starting, and the moment when the hound is laid upon the scent, should be by degrees increased, until, at length, an hour and more will intervene.

The first lessons should be given early in the morning, when the dew is not quite off the grass; and the runner should be instructed to take a direction not likely to be crossed by others. Gradually the hound will be made to follow the scent under less favourable circumstances, as respects the state of the ground and the chance of the trail being interfered with.

It will be obvious that the example of an old well-trained hound would be very beneficial to the pup; and, if it can be so managed, he should not be thrown upon his own unaided resources, until he has acquired a tolerable notion of his business.

A young dog that works too fast must be brought to pursue at a pace regulated by your signals (end of iv. of 141). That completes his education.

At night bloodhounds are generally held with a light cord, which restraint appears to lessen their wish to give tongue. Of course, they are checked if they do, that the poachers may not be warned of the pursuit.

A trained bloodhound will seldom endeavour to carry on the scent he has brought into a road, until he has tried the adjacent gates, gaps, and stiles.

Bloodhounds not confined are peaceable and, apparently, cowardly. They will rarely attack, unless provoked; but let them be once roused by a blow, and they become extremely savage. They also soon become savage if chained up, when they evince but little affection or obedience. Should they, by accident, get loose, they will more willingly allow a woman or a child to re-chain them than a man.

Bull-dogs have good noses. I have known of the cross between them and the mastiff being taught to follow the scent of a man almost as truly as a bloodhound. The dog I now particularly allude to was muzzled during the day when accompanying the keeper; and the appearance of the formidable-looking animal, and the knowledge of his powers, more effectually prevented egg-stealing than would the best exertions of a dozen watchers. He was the terror of all the idle boys in the neighbourhood. Every lad felt assured that, if once “Growler” were put upon his footsteps, to a certainty he would be overtaken, knocked down, and detained until the arrival of the keeper. The dog had been taught thus:—As a puppy he was excited to romp and play with the keeper’s children. The father would occasionally make one of them run away, and then set the pup on him. After a time he would desire the child to hide behind a tree, which gradually led the pup to seek by nose. An amicable fight always ensued on his finding the boy; and, as the pup grew stronger, and became more riotous than was agreeable, he was muzzled, but still encouraged to throw down the child. It is easy to conceive how, in a dog so bred, the instincts of nature eventually led to his acting his part in this game more fiercely when put upon the footsteps of a stranger.

INDEX.

• A.
• Accomplishments or Refinements:—
• Distinguishing dog-whistle, 501.
• Dog to back the gun, 509.
• — to head running birds, 525.
• — to hunt without gun, 522.
• — to retreat and resume point, 512.
• Regular retrievers to beat, 550.
• Setter to retrieve, 536.
• Water-retriever to fetch cripples, 553.
• Affection an incentive, &c., 167, 259, 497, 559.
• — gained by first attentions, 167.
• Age for education, 15, 62, 132.
• Age of game, 7 n. 236 n. 338 n.
• Albania, cock-shooting in, 84.
• Anecdotes. See Instances.
• Antelope—sagacity of fawn, 509 n.
• Antelopes and cheeta, 284.
• Ants’ nests, Guinea-chicks, 471 n.
• Arnica, lotion for bruises, 566.
• Assistant with wild dog, 282.
• Australia, kangaroo-hunting, 469.
• Author’s writing, cause of, 589.
• Axioms, 274, 359.
• B.
• Back turned brings dog away, 223.
• “Backing” how taught, 350, 353.
• — initiatory lesson in, 50.
• — the gun, 509.
• “Bar,” for wild dog, 299.
• Bark of Oak—tonic for pheasants—end of note to 407.
• Barbuda—Creole and cur, 471.
• Beagles shot over, 80.
• Bear at perfumer’s, 461.
• Bears killed in India, 444.
• “Beat,” a, range taught, 132, 133, 171, 175–179.
• — bad, hard to cure, 283.
• — good, difficult, but invaluable, 189.
• — Herbert’s opinion, 232.
• — without gun, 522.
• — of five or six dogs, 245–248.
• — of four dogs, 244.
• — of three, 242, 243.
• — of two, 238–240.
• — taught following old dog, 191.
• Beaters in India, 446.
• Beckford, Education of buckhound, 558, 559.
• — Gentlemen hunting hounds, 413.
• “Beckon,” why useful signal, 37.
• — and “Heel,” differ, 44.
• Beef, heating in hot climates, 569.
• Begging, how taught, 149.
• Bell rang by dog, 417.
• Bells, to rope of beaters in India, 446.
• — put on dogs, 63, 74, 401.
• Beltings of wood, spaniels, 65.
• “Ben,” a capital retriever, 121.
• Bermuda, militia, 200 n.
• Best dogs err, concise hints, 383.
• Bird dead, loss of discourages dog, 312.
• — dead, seized and torn by dog, 321.
• — shot on ground, steadies dog, 340.
• — shot, search for, 266, 307, 309, 317. 322, 544.
• — shot, signal heel, 269.
• — winged, shoot on ground, 308.
• Birds, lie well, dog winding them, 186.
• — lie, induced to, 401.
• — old, cunning of, 229, 232, 236.
• — wounded, scent differs, 545.
• — wild, intercepted, 384, 400, 525, 533.
• — wounded, first retrieved, 553.
• — wounded, make off towards covey, 544.
• — wounded, found evening, 316.
• — wounded, the search for, 266.
• — wounded, observed by dog, 113.
• Bit for bloodsucker, 117.
• Blackcock pointed three times, 289.
• — dog drawing on his first, 297.
• Black too conspicuous a colour, 93.
• Blacksmith shoeing kicker, 60.
• Blind man, and Tweed-side spaniel, 385.
• Blinking dead bird, 257.
• — from punishment, 165, 344.
• Blinking, initiatory lessons prevent, 17.
• B——k, Sir George, 481.
• Bloodhounds, training of; poachers, 537 n. App.
• Boar, wild; encounter with, 468.
• Brace of dogs, sufficient if good, 137.
• Break in dogs yourself, 3, 408, 409.
• Breaker, qualifications required, 6.
• — one, better than two, 14.
• Breakers in fault, not dogs, 493.
• — regular, displeased, 588 .
• —  hunt too many, 191, 362.
• — idle, dislike bold dogs, 198.
• Breakers’ accomplishments, 555.
• “Breaking fence” prevented, 222.
• Breeding and breaking, fetch money, 376.
• — in and in, bad, 279.
• — superior nose sought, 370.
• Brougham’s story of fox, of dog, 431 n.
• Buck-hound, Beckford’s story of, 559.
• Bull, strike horns, 283 n. App.
• Bull-dogs, keepers, 546 n. App.
• — cross with, 137.
• Bull-terrier, keeper’s, 283 n. App.
• Buying dogs. See Purchasers.
• C.
• Calling constantly, injudicious, 148.
• Cantelo on rearing birds, 407 n. App.
• “Captain,” Lord M——f’s dog, 491.
• Cards selected by “Munito,” 414, 436.
• “Care,” signal for, 39.
• Carrots, for horses, 10, 11, 33.
• “Carrying” and “fetching,” differ, 153.
• — how taught, 96, 109.
• Cats and dogs returning home, 221.
• “Caution,” taught to fast dogs, 197.
• — in excess, 287;
• — cure for, 293.
• Cautious and wild dog contrasted, 194.
• — dog, rarely too fast, 194.
• Chain better than rope, 563.
• Checkcord, 53, 54, 262, 282.
• — spike to, 25, 281, 335.
• Cheeta and antelopes, 284.
• — how trained, 284 n.
• Child lost, fed by dog, 432.
• China Pheasant, cross with, end of note to 407, page 343.
• Circle wide when heading dog, 265.
• Cirque National de Paris, 11.
• Claws of dogs pared, 566 n.
• Clothes, dog sleeping on, 167 n.
• Clumber spaniels, 75.
• Cock-shooting, 37, 84, 397.
• Cocking, young man’s pursuit, 72.
• Cockroaches eaten by fowls, 407 n. App.
• Collar, a light one on dog, 259.
• Collie dogs, 415, 516.
• Colours for concealment, 93 n.
• Commands given in a low tone, 20.
• — understood before seeing game, 16.
• Companion, dog to be yours, 18, 383, 384.
• — initiatory lessons with, 49, 51.
• Condition attended to, 566.
• Consistency necessary, 6, 165, 278.
• Coolness recommended, 278.
• Couple to older dog, 29.
• Couples, accustomed to, 48.
• Courage created, 135, 347.
• Cover, pointers in, 88.
• Covers for game, 65 n. App.
• Cricket, dogs made fag at, 150.
• Cripples first retrieved, 553.
• Cunning of old birds, 229.
• D.
• “Dash,” a spaniel, described, 234.
• Dead bird, blinking of, 267.
• — lifted by you, error of, 98.
• — loss of, discourages dog, 312.
• — rushing into, 321, 374.
• — search for, 266, 307, 309.
• — search for, with two dogs, 544.
• — the first killed, 265.
• — to be pointed, 267;
•  but not by retrieving setter or pointer, 548.
• — torn by dog, 322.
• Dead, initiatory lesson in, 19, 34.
• Diet considered, 567.
• Distance, whence birds are winded, 182, 183.
• — between parallels, 181.
• — dog’s knowledge of, 285.
• Distemper, pups inoculated for, 572.
• — salt for, 579.
• — vaccination for, 573, &c.
• Diving, how taught, 105.
• Dogs, good, cheapest in the end, 137.
• — shape, &c. of, 137, 187, 364, 537.
• — shepherds’, in France, 415.
• — slow, beating more than faster, 327.
• — unknown, fetch small sums, 380.
• — wildest, most energetic, 53, 137, 198.
• Dominos played at by dogs, 433, 441.
• “Down” see “Drop.”
• “Down charge,” dog pointing, not to, 359.
• — initiatory lesson in, 27.
• — ingenious argument against, 316 n.
• — why retrievers should, 119.
• Draughts, the first to move wins, 158.
• “Drop,” a better word than “Down,” 146.
• — dog to, another dropping, 49.
• — dog to, game rising, 328.
• — initiatory lessons in, 23, 25, 26.
• — unnatural, “Toho” natural, 24.
• Dropper, pointing grouse or snipe, 497.
• — by Russian setter, 498.
• Duck emits a goodish scent, 94.
• Duck. Wood-duck of America, 511.
• Duck-shooting in wild rice, 95.
• Ducks, wounded, first retrieved, 553.
• Duke of Gordon’s dogs, 237.
• E.
• Ears not pulled violently, 327.
• Education, age when commence, 15.
• — best conducted by one, 14.
• — Beckford’s opinion of, 558.
• — commenced from A, B, C, 588.
• — expeditious, economical, 13.
• Elephant, critical encounter with, 450.
• — skulls of, 462.
• — tricks exhibited, 160.
• Energy, wildest dogs have most, 53, 137, 198.
• Esquimaux dogs, and women, 169.
• — crossed with wolf, 137 .
• Example advantageous, 351;
• especially to spaniels, 62;
• yours has influence, 264, 374.
• Exercise on the road, 566.
• F.
• Falcon with Greyhound, 470.
• Fastest dogs not beating most, 257.
• — walkers not beating most, 256.
• Fasting, initiatory lessons given, 12.
• Fat, enemy to endurance, 567.
• Fatigued, dog not hunted when, 224.
• Faults, punishment expected for, 348.
• Fawn, sagacity of, 509 n.
• Feeding-time, lessons at, 30.
• — pistol fired, 28.
• — the evening, 568.
• Feet, 187;
• attended to, 566.
• — and loins compared, 137.
• — of setter better than pointer’s, 187.
• — Partridge’s, given to dog, 345.
• Fence not to be broken, 222.
• “Fence,” or “Ware fence,” initiatory lesson in, 46.
• “Fetching” and “carrying” differ, 153.
• — evil of not, 235.
• — lessons in, 96, 109.
• Fields, largest beat, 173.
• “Find,” initiatory lesson, 34, 35.
• “Finder” not to advance, 357.
• — retrieves, 541.
• Fire, dog to bask before, 225.
• First day on game, good conduct of dog, 139;
• of two dogs, 280.
• First good point, 264;
• first bird killed, 265.
• Flapper shooting, 226.
• Fleas. Saffron. Gum of sloe, 165 n.
• Flesh detrimental to pace, 567.
• Flogging, how administered, 323.
• — reprobated, 9, 344.
• “Flown,” initiatory lesson, 45;
• real, 330.
• Food given cool, 568.
• “Footing” a scent, 43, 112, 285.
• “Forward,” initiatory lesson, 36.
• Fowls, killing of—the cure, 392.
• — require animal food, 407 n.
• Fox brought back by dog, 478.
• — his sagacity, 431 n.
• — graceful when hunting, 537.
• Fox-hound, cross gives vigour, 137.
• Franconi’s Cirque National de Paris, 11.
• G.
• Game, age, &c. 7 n. 236 n. 338 n.
• — bag, birds looped on, 540.
• — lies close in hot weather, 446.
• — lies too close in turnips, 193.
• — not shown dog soon, 16, 171.
• — plentiful. Bad rangers, 255.
• — sprung towards gun, 64, 89, 284.
• “Gone,” initiatory lesson, 45;
• real, 330.
• Gordon, the Duke of, his dogs, 237.
• Gorse, spaniels to be habituated to, 61.
• Greyhounds, conditioning of, 566.
• — with Falcon, 470.
• Griffin, hints to, 65 n., 400–403.
• Grouse and snipe alternately set, 497.
• — best to break dog on, 331 n.
• — cunning of old, 229.
• — dog for, rated on snipe, 497.
• — shot from stooks, 7 n.
• — shot with aid of cart, 384.
• — spread while feeding, 265.
• “Grouse’s” portrait, 210.
• Guinea-birds’ eggs. Chicks, 471 n.
• Guinea-birds headed, 528.
• Gun, dog to “back” the, 509.
• — first over fence, not dog, 222.
• — game flushed towards, 64, 89, 284.
• — how carried, 65 n.
• H.
• Hand, bird delivered into, 98.
• — rewards taken from, 27.
• Hare, chase of, checked, 334, 335.
• — heavy, tempts dog to drop, 116.
• — killed in form, steadies dog, 339.
• — scent of, strong, 333.
• — shooting of, condemned, 331.
• — white, the mountain, 338.
• — wounded, dog may pursue, 341.
• Harriers, pointer hunted with, 495.
• Hat-brush brought by dog, 156.
• Hawker, Colonel, 577.
• Haunt, dog brought on, 306;
• not soon, 330.
• Heading birds, 284, 400, 525.
• Heading dog making too stanch, 287;
• circle wide, 265.
• Health promoted by shooting, 409.
• Heat beneficial to dogs, 571.
• Hedge, furthest side hunted, 54.
• Hedge-rows not hunted, 175.
• “Heel,” signal to, on killing, 269, 276.
• — the signal to, 37, 44.
• Hen-harrier’s nest found, 283 n.
• Herbert’s Field Sports in United States, 241, 568.
• Hereditary instincts, 128, 137, 279.
• Hog-hunting with native dogs, 445.
• Hog, wild, first encounter with, 468.
• Hooded crow, 283 n.
• Horned owl, a decoy, 283 n.
• Horse, memory of, 221, n.
• Hoof ointment, 364 n.
• Horse, recipe for conditioning, 364 n.
• Horse’s and dog’s points similar, 364.
• — biting cured, 283 n.
• — leg strapped, 60.
• — rushing at his leaps cured, 33.
• Horses, how taught by Astley, 10.
• — fed on firing, 28.
• Hounds, obedience of, 31.
• — tuition of, 30, 505.
• Hunting, dog’s chief enjoyment, 562.
• — dog long taking to, 132.
• Huntsman for pack bad rangers, 248.
• — a gentleman, 413.
• I.
• Imitative, dogs are, 34, 264.
• In-and-in breeding injudicious, 279 .
• Independence imparted, 375.
• India, 444, 446, &c.
• Indian-corn meal, 568.
• Initiatory lessons, important, 12, 17, 52, 134, 141.
• Inoculation for distemper, 572 n.
• Instance of breaking highly, 251, 395, 499;
• —coolness and courage, 449–468;
• —cunning in grouse, 229;
• in pheasant, 232, 236;
• in monkeys, 431 n.;
• —dog’s barking at point, 521;
• —dog’s behaving well first day, 139, 280;
• —dog’s forcing game to gun, 89;
• —dog’s pointing after the shot, 275;
• —dog’s intercepting, 206, 527, 530;
• —dog’s manner showing birds on the run, 295, 530;
• dog’s pointing on his back, 199;
• —dog’s pointing on fence, 200;
• —dog’s detaining with paw, 319;
• —dog’s retreating from and resuming point, 286, 517, 519, 520;
• dog’s retrieving snipe he would not point, 318;
• dog’s retrieving duck, though detesting water, 320;
• —dog’s running riot from jealousy, 343;
• dog’s running riot only out of sight, 386;
• —dog’s running to heel, but not blinking, 195;
• —dog’s slipping off and replacing collar, 431 n.;
• —dog’s stanchness—high price it commanded, 382;
• —dog’s stanchness to excess, point made three times, 289;
• —dog, though never retrieving, bringing lost bird, 97;
• dog’s walking to mallard from a distance, 93 n.;
• —dog’s walking from a distance to object he seeks, 216;
• —dogs alternately retrieving as ordered, 542;
• —dropper’s alternately pointing grouse and snipe, 497;
• example being useful, 352;
• —good snipe-shot who always used a dog, 395;
• —good snipe-shot who never used a dog, 394;
• —longevity and vigour, 226;
• —old dog proving of great value, 228
• —Newfoundlands finding their vessels amidst many, 218, 219;
• pointer’s hunting with hounds or standing snipe, 495;
• —pointer’s superior nose, 366;
• —pointer standing at partridge while carrying hare, 546;
• —pot-hunting ruining dog, 373;
• —prices dogs fetch, 137, 237, 254, 379, 382, 500;
• retriever bolting partridge because interfered with, 540;
• —retriever losing birds from not delivering into hand, 98;
• —retriever killing one bird to carry two, 100;
• —retriever never disturbing fresh ground, 552;
• —retriever ranging spontaneously, 551;
• —retriever tracking wounded through other game, 547;
• retriever running direct to hidden object, 216;
• —“roading” well performed by young dog, 290;
• —setter facing about, on birds running, 295, 530;
• —setter’s superior nose, 369;
• —setter’s standing fresh birds while carrying dead one, 546;
• —spaniels pointing, 68, 551;
• —young dogs behaving well first day shown game, 139, 280.
• Instinct and reason contrasted, 432.
• Instincts hereditary, 128, 137, 279.
• Ireland. Snipe, Woodcock, 397, 565.
• Isle-aux-Noix, good conduct of dog, 395.
• J.
• Jesse’s opinion of dogs, 431.
• K.
• Kangaroos, Greyhounds, 469.
• Keeper, advice in choosing, 586 n.
• Keeper, feeding several dogs, 30.
• — to teach accomplishments, 555.
• Keeper’s dogs for vermin and poachers, 283 n. App. 537 n. 588 n.
• Keepers dislike this book, 588.
• — blameable for bad dogs, 4.
• — idle, dislike dogs of energy, 193.
• — rival, bet respecting, 499.
• Kennel, dog in, when not with you, 563.
• Kennels in India and England, 570.
• Keys, retrievers taught with, 106.
• — “Médor’s,” bringing, 418.
• Killed outright—evil of thinking, 311.
• Killing fowls—the remedy, 392.
• — sheep-cure attempted, 387, &c.
• Kitchen, dog not allowed run of, 563.
• Knox on rearing Pheasants, 407 n. App.
• L.
• Ladies, breaking for gun, 166.
• — no control over dogs, 147.
• Ladies’ Pets pampered, 163.
• Learned dog in Paris, 435;
• St. John’s, 561.
• Leeward, beat from, 201.
• — dog’s beat from without gun, 522.
• Left hand signals, “Down charge,” 24.
• —  — less than right, 142.
• Left side of dog, keep on, 285.
• “Left,” signal for dog to go to, 36.
• Lending dog injudicious, 584.
• Lesson left off when well repeated, 96.
• Lessons, initiatory, reasonable, 12, 17, 52, 134.
• — — walking in fields, 131.
• “Lifting” a dog, 309, 533, 546.
• Lion bearded in his den, 465.
• Liver, hard boiled, 116.
• Loins and feet compared, 137.
• Longevity and vigour in a setter, 226.
• Lord M——’s setter facing about on birds running, 295, 530.
• M.
• Major B——d’s well broken dogs, 250.
• Mange—mutton instead of beef, 569.
• Mare making colts swim, 352 n.
• Markers used with spaniels, 81.
• Meat recommended for dogs, 569.
• Medicine, how easily given, 580.
• Memory in horse, 221 n.
• Militia regiment treeing, 200 n.
• Monkeys—their fun, 431 n.
• Moors, advantage of, 137.
• “Munito” selecting cards, 414.
• Muscle wanted, not flesh, 567.
• Muscovy drake, the cross, 471 n.
• Musk bull found by “Muta,” 487.
• Mute spaniels, old sportsmen prefer, 83.
• Mutton less heating than beef, 569.
• Muzzle dogs that worry sheep, 391.
• N.
• Names ending in “o”—dissimilar, 145.
• Netting partridges, 537 n. App.
• Newfoundland carrying off parasol, 151.
• —  swimming to ship, 218, 219.
• —  that fished, 474, 475.
• —  the true breed, 126.
• “Niger’s” crossing hedge to drive birds, 533 n.
• Night-dogs, 283 n. and 537 n. App.
• “No” better word than “Ware,” 47.
• Noise spoils sport, 7, 20, 172, 473.
• Nose carried high, 42, 186.
• — condition of, important, 570.
• — direction of, shows birds, 284.
• — of pointers and setters differ, 174 n.
• — of timid dogs often good, 135.
• — tenderness of, how judged, 365.
• “Nosing” allowed, 314.
• O.
• Oatmeal and Indian-corn, 568.
• Old birds, cunning of, 229, &c.
• —  first killed, 404, 405.
• Old crippled Scotch sportsman, 411.
• Old dog allowed liberties, 564.
• — range taught with, 191.
• — when good, value of, 227.
• “On” initiatory lesson in, 19, 21.
• Owl used to decoy vermin, 283 n. App.
• P.
• Parallels, distance between, 181, 184.
• Parasol carried off for bun, 151.
• Partridges, benefit farmers, 407 n. App.
• — how to choose, 7 n.
• — netted, 537 n. App.
• — old killed first, 404.
• — red-legged, 535 n.
• — wild, intercepted, 284, 400.
• Patience enjoined, 263.
• Paw kept on wounded bird by dog, 319.
• Pea-fowl wants sagacity, 509 n.
• Peg, or spike on checkcord, 281, 335.
• Perseverance and range attained, 565.
• — cures bad habits, 165.
• — in seeking, taught, 313.
• Pheasants, benefit farmer, 407 n. App.
• — cover for, 65 n. App.
• — cunning of old, 231, 236.
• — old hens killed off, 404.
• — rearing of, 471 n. App.
• Physic, how easily given, 580.
• Pigeons shot to retriever, 114.
• Pike, voracity of, 231 n.
• Pincushion, retrievers fetch, 106.
• Pistol, horses fed at discharge, 28.
• Poachers, dogs for attacking, 283 n. and 537 n. App.
• — killing birds, 7 n. 93 n.
• — tracked by bloodhounds, 537 n.
• Poultry and game reared, Cantelo, 407 n. App.
• — killing birds, 7 n. 93 n.
• — tracked by bloodhounds, 537 n.
• Poultry and game reared, Cantelo, 407 n. App.
• “Point dead,” to, 266.
• Point left and resumed, 512.
• — 150 yards from grouse, 183.
• — 100 yards from partridge, 182.
• — not quitted for “down charge,” 274, 359.
• — the first good one, 264.
• — inclination to, general, 471.
• — same, taken three times, 289.
• Pointer cross with Indian dog, 448.
• Pointer’s points, 137, 187, 364, 537.
• Pointing, dog not soon, 132, 281, 306.
• — dog when, not to down, 359.
• — origin of, 24.
• Polygar dogs, to hunt hog, 445.
• Pony for shooting, how broken in, 32.
• Porcupine, dogs for hunting the, 448.
• Porteous’s whistles, 507, &c.
• Pot-hunting sportsmen ruin dogs, 373.
• Potato-fields, avoid, 192.
• Preparatory lessons important, 12, 17, 52, 134, 141.
• Price of dogs, 138, 237, 254, 379, 382, 500.
• Punishment avoided by lessons, 17.
• — causes blinking, 344, &c.
• — decreases, whip carried, 342.
• — not shunned by dogs, 348, &c.
• — how administered, 323.
• — making dog too stanch, 287.
• — not inflicted on suspicion, 326.
• — reprobated, 9, 344.
• Pups born in India, 448.
• — — in winter, 571.
• — inoculated for distemper, 572.
• — vaccinated for distemper, 573, &c.
• Purchasers of dogs, hints to, 146, 365, 372.
• Puzzle-peg, saved by word “up,” 41.
• “Puzzling” with nose to ground, 185.
• Q.
• Quail pointed, dog on fence, 200.
• — large in Canada, 277.
• Qualities expected in good dog, 8.
• Quartering-ground. See Beat.
• R.
• Rabbit-shooting, reprobated, 331.
• —  with beagles, 80.
• Rabbit-warren, visit, hares scarce, 337.
• Rabbits, choice and age of, 338 n.
• .
• Railway whistles, 507.
• “Range.” See “Beat.”
• “Rating” dogs, how best done, 188.
• Rats, dogs for gun not to kill, 130.
• Red-legged partridges, headed, 527.
• —  —  destroyed, 535 n.
• Red setters, Irish, 565.
• Refinements. See Accomplishments.
• Relays desirable—not a pack, 248.
• Requisites in a dog, 8;
• in a breaker, 6.
• Retreat from point, &c. 512.
• Retriever, bit for one that mouths, 117.
• — evil of assisting, 115.
• — “footing” scent, lesson in, 112.
• — for water, qualities in, 93.
• — made whipper-in, 57.
• — observes struck bird, 113.
• — (regular), useful with beaters, 550.
• — (regular), to “down charge” or not? 119.
• Retrievers, shape, &c. of, 125.
• — to beat, 550.
• — to fetch, taught, 108, &c.
• — to pursue faster, 118.
• — water, to fetch cripples first, 553.
• — how bred, 126.
• Retrieving not taught first season, 538.
• — setters or pointers not to “point dead,” 548.
• — setters, not pointers, 536.
• Rewards always given, 27, 40.
• Rheumatism prevented by care, 571.
• Rice, wild lakes, duck-shooting in, 95.
• “Richelieu,” snipe-shooting, 277.
• Rifle, rest for, 509 n.
• Right, the signal to go towards, 36.
• Right-eyed, 65 n. App.
• Right hand, for “Toho” and “Drop,” 24.
• — signals more than left, 142.
• Road, exercise on, good for dogs, 566.
• “Roading,” instance of fine, 290–292.
• — by 6 dogs alternately, 251.
• — by “Finder,” 354.
• Rope to tie dog, bad, 563.
• Running bird, firing at, 308.
• Rushing in to “dead” cured, 374.
• Russian setter, dropper from, 498.
• S.
• Saffron removing fleas, 165 n.
• Salt for distemper, 579.
• Scent, bad in calm or gale, 174.
• — differently recognised by pointers and setters, 174 n.
• — of birds, not left for hare, 333.
• — “footing” a, initiatory lesson in, 43.
• Scent of wounded and unwounded birds differs, 545.
• Search “dead,” 266;
• with 2 dogs, 544.
• — for wounded bird, when to leeward, 309;
• when to windward, 307.
• Seeking dead, how taught, 313.
• “Self-hunting,” prevent, 564.
• September, dog taken out in, 171.
• — day’s lesson continued, 259.
• Servant useful in field, 282.
• Seton proved useful, 123.
• Setter, stanch—sum paid for, 382.
• — to retrieve, 536;
•  argument against applies to retriever, 549.
• Setters crouch more than pointers, 23.
• — Duke of Gordon’s breed, 237.
• — for cover shooting, 87.
• Setters, points in, 137, 187, 364, 537.
• — red—the Irish breed, 565.
• Setters’ feet better than pointers’, 187.
• Severity reprobated, 9, 344.
• Sheep, killing of—cure, 387–390.
• Sheep-stealing. Bloodhounds, 537 n.
• Shepherds’ dogs, 143, 163, 415.
• — “forward” signal, for water retrievers, 91.
• Shooting, excellence in, not necessary in breaker, 5, 253.
• — hints to tyros, 65 n. App.
• Shot-belt, nozzle lengthened, 65 n. App.
• — on spaniels and setters, 60, 329.
• Shot over, dog to be, before bought, 372.
• Showman’s dogs in Paris, 434, &c.
• Shy birds intercepted, 284, 400, 525, 533.
• Sight, dog not to be out of, 386.
• Silence enjoined, 7, 172, 473.
• Sinews of legs drawn, 345 n.
• Single-handed, shot to, 375.
• Sloe, gum of, 165 n.
• Slow dog, associate for young one, 350.
• — dogs hunting more than faster, 257.
• Snipe, condition of, 236 n.
• — grouse-dog rated noticing, 497.
• — killed off, 396.
• Snipes, three, lifted in succession, 546.
• Snipe-shooting on Richelieu, 277.
• Snipe-shot who never used dog, 394;
• who used one constantly, 395.
• Spaniel puppies, keep close, 59.
• Spaniels, age when shown game, 62.
• — babbling occasionally best, 84.
• — hunted in gorse, 61.
• — mute, preferred, 83.
• — numbers for a team, 74, 77.
• — requisites in, 70.
• — shot-belt on wildest, 60.
• — Sussex, 236.
• — that pointed, 68.
• — water, how broken in, 90.
• Spike-collar, 300, &c.
• Spike fastened to checkcord, 281, 335.
• Sportsmen to break dogs, 3, 408, 409.
• Spring, dogs broken in, 170.
• Springing the other birds after pointing one, 373.
• Stanch—made too, by heading, 287.
• St. John’s old woman’s dog, 559 n.
• Stoat, range of, 283 and n. App.
• Stone, error of retrieving, 103.
• Summary imparted by lessons, 141.
• Sussex spaniel, 236.
• “Suwarrow,” heading running birds, 530.
• T.
• “Taffy,” anecdotes of, 421–430.
• .
• Tattersall’s, thirteen pointers at, 379.
• Temper in breaker necessary, 6;
• improved by successfully teaching, 409.
• Temper hereditary, 128.
• Terrier pointing in varied attitudes, 298.
• Terriers for covers, 24 n.
• Tigress’ claws running into feet, 566 n.
• Time given determines education, 2.
• — saved by initiatory lessons, 52.
• Timidity cured, 135, 345, 347.
• “Toho,” first good one in field, 264.
• — initiatory lesson in, 19, 21, 24.
• Traps beat guns for vermin, 283, App.
• — visited by terrier, 283 n.
• Tricks easily taught after first, 136.
• — exhibited with effect, 154, 437.
• — taught by ladies, 150.
• Trout, tame, 164.
• — trolling for, 231 n. 588 n.
• Turning back, brings dog away, 223.
• Turnip-field ridden round, 401.
• Turnips avoided, 192.
• — lessons in, 329.
• Tweed spaniel, and blind man, 385.
• Two dogs, beat of, 238–240.
• — steady, first day, 280.
• U.
• “Up,” signal for—initiatory lesson, 41.
• V.
• Vaccination for distemper, 573, &c.
• Vermin, dogs for, 283 n. 588 n.
• — traps. Decoy owl, 283 n. App.
• Vigour and longevity in setter, 226.
• Vineyards protected by dogs, 415.
• W.
• Walkers, fastest, not beating most, 256.
• “Ware,” not so good word as “No,” 47.
• Warmth necessary for dogs, 571.
• Warren, visit, hares scarce, 337 n.
• Water, dog taught to plunge into, 104.
• Water-proof, recipe for leather, 567 n.
• — — for cloth, 567 n.
• Water-retriever, how broken, 90.
• — observes struck bird, 113.
• — qualities required in, 93.
• Whales, Bermuda, 165 n.
• Whip carried saves punishment, 342.
• — to crack loudly, 188.
• Whistle low, 20, 507.
• — dissimilar notes on one, 505.
• — distinguishing, for each dog, 501.
• — inattentive to, how punish, 188.
• — initiatory lesson in, 19.
• Whistles, boatswain’s, 506;
• railway, 507.
• Whistling to animate, injudicious, 172;
• spoils sport, 7.
• White dogs, arguments for and against, 187.
• White feet, objectionable, 187.
• White, too conspicuous a colour, 93.
• Wild birds, intercepted, 284, 400, 525, 533.
• Wild dog contrasted with cautious, 194.
• Wild dogs turning out best, 198.
• Wildfowl, wounded, retrieved first, 553.
• — reconnoitred with glass, 92.
• Winged bird. See Bird winged.
• Winter pups, 571.
• Wolf, cross with Esquimaux dog, 137.
• Woodcock-shooting in Albania, 84;
• in America, 37;
• in Ireland, 397;
• in Kent, 82.
• Woodcocks attached to covers, 397.
• — reflushed, 82.
• — small, in Canada, 277.
• Wood-duck of North America, 511.
• Wounded bird. See Bird wounded.
• Y.
• Yeomen of Kent, 236.
• Yorkshire keeper’s advice, 406.
• Young dogs steady first day on game, 139, 280.
• Youth, game followed in, liked, 69.
• — occupation followed in, liked, 563.