20 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



msm?- 



A. WEEKLY JOURNAL, 

 Dzvotkd to Field and Aquatic Sfobts, Practical Natural HtsToRT, 



BT»U]UUI,TUBE, TIL.-; PROTECTION OF GA-tE,i'RKSKBVATIONOFl?OHJSeTS, 

 AND TUB L-idm.nVriON IK MEN AND WOMEN OF A HKAJ.TUT INTERK9T 

 H 0<JT~DOOU K30RSATION AND STUDY ! 



PUBLISHED BT 



parent md Mtreuiq publishing {feomgnttg. 



17 CHATHAM STREET, (CITY HALL SQUARE) NEW YORK, 

 IPost OwtiOB Box 2832.] 



Tar mi, Four Hollars a Year, Strictly In A«T«nt». 



Twenty-five per ceni. off for Clnba of Three o 



Advertising llr.ien. 



inside pages, nonpareil type, 20 cents per line; outside page, 30 cents. 

 eB for three, six. and twelve mouths. Notices in editorial 

 aim m 10 cents per Hoe. 



*$* Any pnblieher inserting our prospectus as above one time, with 

 bri< i n ii tiiorer.i). and sending marked copy 



n> I- ', i •■:.,•; AN „ Stream for oue year. 



NEW YORK, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1877. 



To Correspondents. 



All communications whatever, whether relating to onslneas or literary 

 eorrespondence, mast be addressed to The Forest and Stream Pub 

 lujbuks Compant. Personal or private letters of course excepted. 



All communications intended for publication must be accompanied with 

 real nanus, as a guaranty of good faith. Names will not be published if 

 objection be made. No anonymous contributions will be regaracd. 



Articles relating to any topic within the scope of this paper are solicited 



We cannot promise to retain rejected manuscripts. 



Secretaries or Clubs and Associations are urged to favor us with brief 

 ir movements and transactions, as it is the aim of this paper 

 to become a medium of useful and reliable information bet 

 men sportsmen from one end ol the country to ihe other ; and they will 

 And 



UtD Stream aim so merit and secure the 

 of the community whose re- 

 enjoy all that 

 lander to no deprived tastes, nor pervert 

 .1 ffatei ;■> those base uses which always 

 nh the virtuous and good. No advertise- 

 rs character will be received on any 



is beautiful in Nature. 



ttiu login;;' It 



tend to make inem nnj 



terms; and nothing will be admitted to any department of the paper that 

 may not be read with propriety in the home circle 



Wo cannot bo responsible for the dereliction of the mall service, If 

 money remitted to ua is lost. 

 Advertisements shonld be sent in by Saturday of each week, If possible. 

 f5f Tradu supplied by American News Company. 

 CH MILES HAI.LOCK. 



Editor and Business Mnnagor. 



Fisu Culture. — To-day we resume the publication of a 

 series ol valuable articles upon Fish Culture, which have 

 heretofore appeared under the signature of " Ichtfoyos," 

 but which will hereafter bear the real name of the author, 

 Dr. Nahum E. Ballon, President of the Fish Culturists' 

 Association: of Illinois, whom we are proud to introduce to 

 our readers. 



Delta Kappa Epejlon. — M the last diuner of this 

 powerful College Association, which is represented by some 

 thirty chapters in various parts of the country, a plan was 

 ador.ted for a permanent organization of the Alumni resi- 

 dent in New York and vicinity, and an Executive Commit- 

 tee was appointed for the coming year with power lo 

 choose officers of the Association. The committee have 

 unanimously selected the following board of officers;— 

 - Sidney Webster. 



Dr. E, G. BarUett; Bayard Taylor; Whitlaw Read; 

 Hallock. 

 prof. J. C. Smock; and John Claflin. 



■*♦♦■ 



—The mean mid day leuiperalure at New Smyrna, Flo- 

 rida, for the moulh of January, as furnished at Ihe signal 

 service station by Maj. Geo. A. Alden was 67 degrees; 

 mean temperature at 7 n. m., 55; at 3 p. m., 59. Highest 

 for Ihe month, 81 degrees on Jan. 16th; lowest, cifldegrets. 



-♦♦» 



—The thaw has ended the water famine in the western 

 pert of Massachusetts. The mill streams have been filled 

 without being swollen to the freshet pitch, and the springs, 

 wells and reservoirs are raised so that no further dearth of 

 water will be experienced, even with continued cold 



weather. 



■»♦•" 



—The annual dinner of Ihe Blooming Grove Park Asso- 

 ciation, was held at the Hoffman House, ou Tuesday even- 

 V largo number of ladies and gentlemen partici- 

 pated. ^ , 



—Prof, J. A. Allen, ol Ihe Cambridge Museum of Com- 

 parative Zoology, i.-. kind enough to say in a reeeut letter:— 

 "I am greatly pleased with Fohes* and Stkeam, and 

 know thin i -'»->d work. It meets a want that 



i (villi which lam acquainted so well falls. 



! ili mi. ■!. iii .I its page ''I.- filled with informa- 

 tion highly instructive to the majoiiiy of sportsmen." 



— Sincj the arrival of the Russian fleet and the Duke 

 Alexis, the hotels At Norfolk have been pucked- 



ORIGIN OF THE PERCHRRON HORSE 



FOR several hundred years (here has existed in the 

 inteiior of France a race of horses, famous for their 

 useful qualities, and possessing a remarkable degree of 

 uniformity in all their essential characteristics. These 

 horses were called Percherons from the fact that they were 

 mainly bred and reared in the ancient Province of La 

 Pert-he, a district situated to the south and west of Paris, 

 and embracing a considerable portion of the territory that 

 is» not covered by the modem departments of Orue, Euro 

 et Loir, Loir et Cher and Sarthe. 



The precise date when this race of horses assumed the 

 distinctive features which entitles it to be classed as a 

 fixed breed is not known, neither can all the various ele- 

 ments which entered into its composition be detei mined 

 with any great certainty. The French lileralure is especi- 

 ally barren of any definite accounts concerning the origin 

 of any of Ihe breeds of horses in France. No stud books 

 of any kind have ever been kepi, and no systematized at- 

 tempt at recording Ihe genealogies of any of their breeds 

 was ever made. It is a well known historical fact, how- 

 ever, that the Norman war horses, as used by the armor- 

 clad knights in the days when chivalry flourished, during 

 the time of the Crusades, were lamed for their stoutness 

 as well as their activity, and that, iu spite of the lack of 

 paper pedigrees and stud books, "selection of the best" and 

 survival of the fittest, had given to this part of France, 

 near centuries ago, a race of horses lhat wasp r e-cntineully 

 adapted to the wants of that country. 



But Ihe little history lhat can be found touching this 

 breed definitely points to an Eastern origin. Some French 

 authorities go as far back as Ihe year 731, when France 

 was invaded by the Saracens, 300,000 strong, under the 

 command of the famous chief Alderame. The utter de- 

 feat and overthrow of this barbarian host by the French, 

 under Charles Mortal, on the plain between Poitvers and 

 Tours, left the fine Arab and Barb steeds, upon which 

 many of the invaders were mounted, in the hands ot the 

 victors, and these horses, crossed upon the large, strong 

 unlive mares of that region, if they did not form the start- 

 ing point for the breed, which, since lhat lime, has be- 

 come so famous, undoubtedly had much to do with creat- 

 ing the foundation upon which it was ultimately built. 

 Another large infusion of ihe same Oriental blood took 

 place upon the return of Ihe Crusaders, who brought with 

 tin m many of the finest Arabian stallions, and these were 

 also extensively used upon the already excellent stock of 

 La Perche, and served lo stamp upon them the form and 

 other distinctive marks of ihe Arab to a still greater de- 

 gree than they possessed. The infusion of fresh Arabian 

 and Andalusiau blood was kept up for many years, at 

 irregular intervals, the Lord of Mantdonbleau, Geoffry IV., 

 Rotron, Count of Malatt, Count, of La Perche, Count 

 Roger, of Bellesmar, and many others of the nobility, 

 having been distinguished for the importations made by 

 them, and the interest they took in the subject ot breeding 

 horses; and as late as about 1820, we find lhat the two 

 famous Arabian stallions, Godolphin and Gallipoli, both 

 grey, were imported and extensively used by the direction 

 of the Government. 



The region of the Perche was especially favorable, in all 

 the elements of soil and climate, for producing horses of 

 the highest excellence, and ils inhabitants have long been 

 noted for their attachment to this noble animal. Indeed 

 it is doubtful if, in his desert home, the Arabian horse 

 ever found a master equally as affectionate or kind, 

 as well acquainted with, and as ready to supply all his 

 wants, as he found in his new home among the people of 

 La Perche. They were proud of their horses, and the 

 utmost care was exercised by both Government aud the 

 people, in the se'ection of tires and dams. 



Another cause which exercised a powerful influence in 

 the building up of this breed, and in giving it adaptation 

 to the necessities of the country in the country in which 

 it was reared, was the custom, which still prevails uni- 

 versally throughout France, of leaving all the male colts 

 entire. None are ever gelded, and it is only after a young 

 horse has proven that he possesses qualities which are 

 especially desirable, that he is used in the stud. All the 

 mules being left entire, there is a much wider range for 

 the selection of suitable sires than there would be if the 

 custom of gelding a large majority of the young colts, 

 which prevails in most oiher countries, were followed. It 

 is from these sources alone, viz : the large and constant 

 infusion of Eastern blood upon Ihe stock of La Perche, 

 already distinguished for the endurance and stoutness of 

 its horses, the natural adaption of the soil and climate, and 

 the care and attention paid by the Government and the 

 people who loved their horses, and lived with them, for 

 successive generations, selecting only the best for breed- 

 ing purposes, lhat formed, by gradual approaches, that 

 excellent type which finally came to be known and recog- 

 nized as the Perchcroa horse; and he who looks for a defin- 

 ite point in the equine history of France where they first 

 came to be acknowledged as a distinct breed, will search 

 in vain. 



Aside from the history and traditions of the country, the 

 Perchei on horse himself furnishes unmistakable evidence 

 in his form, disposition, color and general characterise, 

 that he is closely allied to the Arab. These characteristics 

 have been modified somewhat, it is Hue, an I the size has 

 been greatly increased; but, in the hands Of excellent 

 horsemen of La Perche, and under the careful and foster- 

 ing supervision of the Government, which exercised a 

 direct control over the selection of sires, he seems lo have 



obtained all that was good in his Oriental ancestry; and 

 this added 16 the greatly increased size which have been 

 attained, made the horses of La Perche many years ago, 

 the wonder of the world for their specialty of rapid draft 

 —their ability to move a heavy load at a rapid gait. It 

 was this acknowledged superiority of the Percheron 

 horse in tie diligences, fast coaches and omnibus of 

 France, that first caused the attention of the outside woild 

 to be directed to them. It was not simply as draft or 

 cart-horses lhat thry were distinguished; on the contrary, 

 had they possessed no excellence beyond Ibis, they would 

 scarcely have attracted any attention, for other countries 

 possessed horses that for the purposes of heavy draft alone, 

 were certainly their equals, if not their superiors; but it 

 was in that happy combination of size and form, which 

 gave them activity, quickness of motion, strength and 

 endurance, that they were found lo excel the horses of all 

 Other countries. 



This typical horse, which gave name and fame to the 

 Percheron blood fifty years ago, was from fifteen to six- 

 teen hands high, and weighed from twelve hundred to 

 fourteen hundred pounds. In colorfully twenty per cent, 

 of them were grey (many of Ihem beautifully dappled 

 but growing white as they advanced iu years), aud the re- 

 mainder were of various colors, the black preponderating. 

 They were noted for their kindness aud docility, and the 

 certainty with which they transmitted their own qualities 

 gave Ihe Percheron horses a degree of uniformity, in all 

 of their characteristics, lhat has scarcely ever been equalled 

 by any other breed. Under these favorable circumstances 

 they were bred and reared for successive generations, the 

 Government constantly exercising a careful supervision 

 over the breeding studi lhat were established in various 

 parts of the district, occasional!}' Iryiug some new cross, 

 but. carefully adhering to Ihe original type, and rigidly re- 

 jecting all excepting the very best specimens in Ihe stud. 

 But with the introduction of railroads the use of the post- 

 coach and diligence was pruclically abandoned, and as 

 this was the specialty for which the Percheron's we have 

 described have been bred, so, with the new order of things, 

 come a demand for horses of a larger lypc. Greater 

 weight, a heavier bone, and more substance were required; 

 and since that time the improvement of the Percheion, in 

 litis direction, has especially engrossed the attention of 

 the French breeder. Among the famous stallions im- 

 ported from France by Messrs. Sackrider & Chrisholm, 

 of Elgin, 111., are those at present quartered in Sun Fran- 

 cisco, at the famous Ricord stables, owned by Messrs. P. 

 L. Aiehibald & Co. The stallion Hercules is possibly the 

 largest horse in the United Slates, he being eighteen bands 

 high, six years old, light dapple grey, and weighing two 

 thousand pounds. Another hoi se is Napoleon, sixteen and 

 one-half hands high, six years old, dark dapple grey, weigh- 

 ing seventeen hundred pounds. 



■*•*• 



"JAMRACH." 



A CORRESPONDENT asks, "Who is Jamrach?" 

 Where is his establishment, and in what particular 

 animals does he deal?" Mr. Jamrach is the largest dealer 

 in animals in existence. His name sounds savage, and 

 seems well suited to the savage animals he is constantly 

 buying and selling, but it strangely belies its owner, for ho 

 is one of the most courteous and gentlemanly of men alive. 

 Hi3 establishment is in the city of London, in that part 

 known as St. George's street, which runs due east from the 

 Tower, and near the river Thames. Once in St. George's 

 slreet, by ear you can tell where Jamrach's is. Macaws, 

 parrots, and other noisy birds are shrieking always, and 

 you have but to follow Ihe sound to reach one branch of 

 the strange trade. In another part of the great warehouse 

 you will find Ihe lions, ligers, rhinocerouss and other 

 gentle things, and there you may purchase these same 

 at wholesale or retail, just as you would purchase dry 

 goods or groceries in your own city. At all times has 

 Jamrach on hand zebras, hyenas, tigers, leopards and 

 other wild beasts, all for sale, together with a young 

 lioness or two, who are warranted to tear you in pieces in 

 less than no time, provided they can get ar, youl Birds 

 and reptiles innumerable has Jamrach alBO, and from his 

 strange warehouse are continually going out neat little 

 parcels of tigers, zebras and boa-constrictors, to various 

 directions. Some to the gardens of the different govern- 

 ments of Europe; some lo the Zoological Gardens, London, 

 and other institutions of same kinds elsewhere, and some 

 to our own happy land. There is no limit to this strange 

 trade. Agents are at work for the "beast dealer" in every 

 quarter of the globe, and he dispatches travelers to pick up 

 stock in savage Africa or Central America, just as other 

 traders send agents to purchase goods in the large com- 

 mercial emporiums of trade. The London "Zoo" pays 

 him thousands and thousands of dollars; his stock is always 

 complete, consignments are constantly coming in, and the 

 creatures are as constantly being sold and packed off. 

 The manifestly business air of Jamrach's place, and Ihe 

 way in which the denizens of the stall are regarded as 

 mere items of stock, with fixed prices attached to each, 

 strike one, if he be a stranger. However, it soon becomes 

 so matter-of-fact with him, that he begins to think that it 

 is "beasts" instead of dry goods or groceries, that's all, 

 and were Jamrach to say, "I can do you a neat thing in 

 giraffes!" or, "Can 1 tempt you with something very tasty, 

 in the alligator line? 1 ' it would seem not in the least iu 

 congruous, and so you would soon pass through in the 

 strange show rooms, much as you would any other placo 

 of regular 



