i88 The Dog Book 



see him. He would back out, find and take me to the place and resume 



his point. 



"Lass was another good one of more recent years. I had her for a 

 month in North Carolina in the winter of 1895-96, and there were few 

 days on which she was not in the field. One day she nearly drowned her- 

 self trying to point a quail when she was swimming a creek; finally she 

 touched bottom, and there she stood with only her head above water. On 

 another occasion we had driven to the shooting ground, and as soon as she 

 was lifted from the wagon she stood at point to some birds fifty yards 

 on the other side of the wagon. At Shokan, N. Y., I shot fifteen quail 

 and seven ruffed grouse over her, and bad weather it was for pointing any- 

 thing, but she missed nothing. With her I once struck a little bunch of 

 woodcock, beginning at Woodridge and working up toward home. It was 

 most difficult to get anything like a shot at them, for they kept in the scrub. 

 I do not know how many cock there were, but she made twenty-one points 

 and two flushes. In July, three years ago, I had three days' woodcock 

 shooting over her about Lodi and killed twenty-one birds. These may 

 seem very small bags to men who go to specially selected shooting grounds, 

 but I have had some dogs with great reputations, world-beaters, come out 

 to run against my reds on this hard locality for game, and whether it is 

 their experience on the ground or not I do not know, but mine have always 

 had the majority of the points. Dogs have got to be game and persevering 

 for this poverty-stricken game country. I was out yesterday till noon, 

 started early too, and got one snipe. I only had one dog with me, however, 

 and the snipe were not on, for that is the only one I saw. Many dogs 

 would quit with no better success than that." 



Elcho's Great Record 



For a man who had four champion dogs of his own breeding competing 

 in one class and had eight field trials winners, Dr. Jarvis was far too reticent 

 regarding his dogs. We therefore feel the necessity of telling the story of the 

 great Elcho. Thirteen years ago we wrote in the American Kennel Register 

 as follows: "If ever a dog deserved the title of champion that one is Dr. 

 Wm. Jarvis's Irish setter Elcho. His long list of personal prize-winnings 

 and his success as a sire of bench, show and field-trials-winners stamp him 

 as far and away the best animal — we do not confine it to dogs — that ever 



