13 FEBRUARY 1904, Page 16

RETRIEVERS AND WOODCOCKS.

[To THE EDITOR OF THE 'SPECTATOR.']

SIR,—In your interesting article in the Spectator of January 30th, "Woodcocks near the Sea," your writer appears surprised that his "highly trained retriever" failed to find a dead woodcock (p. 179). It is a matter of common knowledge amongst most sportsmen that nine out of every ten retrievers will not retrieve that bird. Very few retrievers will find a woodcock; often even when running against it they refuse to retrieve one. It would interest myself, and I have no doubt others also, if some reader of your journal would give us the why and wherefore.—I am Sir, &c.,

Spencer Lodge, Byde.

J. H. HAMILTON.