nly of a piece of oak or deal inch board, one foot in length, and an inch and a half in breadth, tapering a little to one end; at the broader end are two holes running longitudinally, through which the collar of the dog is put, and the whole is buckled round his neck; the piece of wood being projected beyond his nose, is then fastened with a piece of leather thong to his under jaw. By this means the peg advancing seven or eight inches beyond his snout, the dog is prevented from putting his nose to the ground and raking.
As soon as the young dog knows his game you must bring him under complete subjection. If he is tractable, this will be easy; but if he is stubborn, it will be necessary to use the traph cord, which is a rope or cord of 20 or 25 fathoms in length fastened to his collar. If he refuse to come back when called upon, you must check him smartly with the cord, which will often bring him upon his haunches. But be sure you never call to him except when you are within reach of the cord. After repeating this several times he will not fail to come back when called; he ought then to be caressed, and a bit of bread should be given him. He ought now constantly to be tied up, and never unchained, except when you give him his food, and even then only when he has done something to deserve it.
The next step will be to throw down a piece of bread on the ground, at the same moment taking hold of the dog by the collar, calling out to him, "take heed,—softly." After having held him in this manner for some space of time, say to him, "seize—lay hold." If he is impatient to lay hold of the piece of bread before the signal is given, correct him gently with a small whip. Repeat this lesson until he "takes heed" well, and no longer requires to be held fast to prevent him from laying hold of the bread. When he is well accustomed to this manœuvre, turn the bread with a stick, holding it in the manner you do a fowling-piece, and having done so, cry seize. Never suffer the dog to eat either in the house or field without having first made him take heed in this manner.
Then, in order to apply this lesson to the game, fry small pieces of bread in hogs lard, with the dung of partridge; take these in a linen bag into the fields, stubbles, ploughed grounds, and pastures, and there put the pieces in several different places, marking the spots with little cleft pickets of wood, which will be rendered more distinguishable by putting pieces of card in the nicks. This being done, cast off the dog and conduct him to these places, always hunting in the wind. After he has caught the scent of the bread, if he approaches too near, and seems eager to fall upon it, cry to him in a menacing tone, "take heed," and if he does not stop immediately, correct him with the whip. He will soon comprehend what is required of him, and will stand.
At the next lesson, take your gun charged only with powder, walk gently round the piece of bread once or twice, and fire instead of crying seize. The next time of practising this lesson, walk round the bread four or five times, but in a greater circle than before, and continue to do this, until the dog is conquered of his impatience, and will stand without moving until the signal is given him. When he keeps his point well, and stands steady in this lesson, you may carry him to the birds; if he runs in upon them, or barks when they spring up, you must correct him; and if he continues to do so, you must return shooting to the fried bread; but this is seldom necessary.
When the dog has learned by this use of the bread to take heed, he may be carried to the fields with the traph cord dragging on the ground. When he springs birds for the first time, if he runs after them or barks, check him by calling out to him, take heed. If he point properly, caress him; but you ought never to hunt without the cord until he point staunch.
If the dog runs after sheep, and it be difficult to cure and prevent him, couple him with a ram, and then whip the dog as long as you can follow him. His cries will at first alarm the ram; he will run with all his speed, and drag the dog along with him; but he will at length take courage, turn upon the dog, and butt him fiercely with his horns. When you think the dog is sufficiently chastised, untie him: he will never run at sheep again.
Having now given a few general instructions concerning the best method of training pointers, we shall subjoin a few observations respecting the most common species of game, the partridge, pheasant, grouse, woodcock, snipe, and wild duck.
Partridges pair in the spring, and lay their eggs generally from 15 to 20 during May and part of June. The young begin to fly about the end of June, and their covey plumage is complete in the beginning of October. The partridge male has a conspicuous horsethoe upon his breast, an obtuse spur on the hinder part of the leg, which distinguishes him from the female. He is also rather larger.
When a sportsman is shooting in a country where the birds are thin, and he no longer chooses to range the field for the bare chance of meeting with them, the following method will show him where to find them another day. In the evening, from sun-set to night-fall, he should post himself in a field, at the foot of a tree or a bush, and there wait until the partridge begin to call or juck, which they always do at that time; not only for the purpose of drawing together when separated, but also when the birds composing the covey are not dispersed. After calling in this manner for some little space of time, the partridges will take to flight; then, if he mark the place where they alight, he may be assured they will lie there the whole night, unless disturbed. Let him return to the same post the next morning by break of day, and there watch a while; being careful to keep his dog in a string, if he is not under perfect command.
As soon as the dawn begins to peep, the partridges will begin to call, and soon afterwards will perform the same manoeuvre as on the preceding evening; that is, after having called a while, they will take their flight, and will most commonly settle at a little distance. There in a few minutes they will call again, and sometimes take a second flight, but that will be to no great distance. Then as soon as the sun is risen, and the sportsman can see to shoot, he may cast off his dog and pursue them.
The pheasant is of the size of a common dunghill cock, and lays its eggs generally in the woods, the number of which is 10 or 12.
Pheasants are accounted stupid birds; for when they are surprised they will frequently squat down like a rabbit, supposing themselves to be in safety as soon as their heads... heads are concealed; and in this way they will sometimes suffer themselves to be killed with a stick. They love low and moist places, and haunt the edges of those pools which are found in woods, as well as the high grass of marshes that are near at hand; and above all, places where there are clumps of alders.
Grouse, or moor-game, are found in Wales, in the northern counties of England, and in great abundance in Scotland. They chiefly inhabit those mountains and moors which are covered with heath, and seldom descend to the low grounds. They fly in companies of four or five brace, and love to frequent mossy places, particularly in the middle of the day or when the weather is warm. In pursuing this game, when the pointer sets, and the sportsman perceives the birds running with their heads erect, he must run after them as fast as he can, in the hope that he may get near enough to shoot when they rise upon the wing; for he may be pretty certain they will not lie well that day. As these birds are apt to grow soon putrid, they ought to be drawn carefully the instant they are shot and fluffed with any heath, and if the feathers happen to be wetted they must be wiped dry.
The woodcock is a bird of passage; it commonly arrives about the end of October, and remains until the middle of March. Woodcocks are fattest in December and January, but from the end of February they are lean. At their arrival they drop anywhere, but afterwards take up their residence in copses of nine or ten years growth. They seldom, however, stay in one place longer than 12 or 15 days. During the day they remain in those parts of the woods where there are void spaces or glades, picking up earthworms and grubs from the fallen leaves. In the evening they go to drink and wash their bills at pools and springs, after which they repair to the open fields and meadows for the night. It is remarkable, that when a woodcock springs from a wood to go into the open country, he always endeavours to find some glade or opening, which he follows to the boundaries of the wood. At his return he pursues the same path a good way, and then turns to the right or left opposite to some glade, in order to drop into a thick part of the wood, where he may be sheltered from the wind. He may therefore be watched with advantage in these narrow passes and little alleys on the edges of woods which lead to a pool or spring, or he may be watched in the dusk of the evening near the pools which he frequents.
The snipe is a bird of passage as well as the woodcock. This bird is scarcely worth shooting till the frost commences. In the month of November they begin to grow fat. Snipes, like woodcocks, frequent springs, bogs, and marshy places, and generally fly against the wind. The slant and crofs shots are rather difficult, as the birds are small and fly very quickly. The sportsman ought to look for them in the direction of the wind; because then they will fly towards him, and present a fairer mark.
The wild duck is also a bird of passage, and arrives here in great flocks from the northern countries in the beginning of winter. Still, however, a great many remain in our marshes and fens during the whole year, and breed.
The wild duck differs little in plumage from the tame duck, but is easily distinguished by its size, which is less; by the neck, which is more slender; by the foot, which is smaller; by the nails, which are more black; and above all, by the web of the foot, which is much finer and softer to the touch.
In the summer season, when it is known that a team of young ducks are in a particular piece of water, and just beginning to fly, the sportsman is sure to find them early in the morning dabbling at the edges of the pool, and amongst the long grass, and then he may get very near to them; it is usual also to find them in those places at noon.
In the beginning of autumn almost every pool is frequented by teams of wild ducks, which remain there during the day, concealed in the rushes. If these pools are of small extent, two shooters, by going one on each side, making a noise and throwing stones into the rushes, will make them fly up; and they will in this way frequently get shots, especially if the pool is not broad, and contracts at one end. But the surest and most successful way, is to launch a small boat or trow on the pool, and to traverse the rushes by the openings which are found; at the same time making as little noise as possible. In this manner the ducks will suffer the sportsmen to come sufficiently near them to shoot flying; and it often happens that the ducks, after having flown up, only make a circuit, return in a little time, and again alight upon the pool. Then the sportsmen endeavour a second time to come near them. If several shooters are in company, they should divide, two should go in the boat, whilst the others spread themselves about the edge of the pool, in order to shoot the ducks in their flight. In pools which will not admit a trow, water-spaniels are absolutely necessary for this sport.
In winter they may be found on the margins of little pools; and when pools and rivers are frozen up, they must be watched for in places where there are springs and waters which do not freeze. The sport is then much more certain, because the ducks are confined to these places in order to procure aquatic herbs, which are almost their only food at this period.