120 



FOREST A^D STREAM, 



the setter, but for the excellent foreshortened view of the 

 head which Mr. T. Ear3 has given to him. The spaniel-like 



character peculiar to the Lin-. ■ i ■:■.. : li-,o quits lost m 

 him by the cross with the Anglesea bitch, Dip. 



1 at remarkable feature in the Laverock breed of set- 

 ters, is the extraordinary extent to which in-breeding has 

 been carried, as shown in the pedigrei of Q nnteas, given 

 by Mr. Laverack in his book on the setter. By examining 

 carefully, it will be seen that every animal in il is Le- 

 scended from Ponto and Old Moll, which were obtained by 

 Mr. Laverock in 182;3 froln the Itev. A. Harrison, who lived 

 near Carlisle, and who had liept the bread pure for thuty- 

 five years. 



To this in-breeding is, no doubt, to be attributed the fact, 

 that the Lav tool aal tare are very difficult to rear, and that a 

 large proportion of them die of distemper. Whether oi ac 

 the average ■working "form" of the breed is a high one is 

 very difficul 1 edde ; but, undoubtedly, Countess and 



her' sister Nellie were grand specimens of the high-bred set- 

 ter. Nearly all the pure Laverack dogs which have been 

 shown are too spaniel-like in shape to please my eye. the 

 onlv exceptions I remember being Prince and Rock. 'n ml to 

 Borne extent the well-known Sam, brother to Countess and 

 Nellie | nevertheless, they have not the spaniel carriage of 

 the flag, which is generally trailed like that of the fdi, and 

 without any lashing or feathering. Probably it is owing to 

 the excessive in-breeding of the Laveraeks injuring their 

 heallh, that they have not succeeded as well as might ho ex- 

 pected as sires -, but at all events, frr/rj vial vex cause, a 

 good deal of disappointment has been felt by breeders on that 

 score. Nevertheless, for work, the breed still maintains the 

 high character g ined tor it in its purity by Countess. Nellie, 

 and Daisy, and for its crosses by Hanger, Dick, Dan, Prince, 

 G-iuxsBaby, Glen, and last, but not least, that excellent 

 little bitch, Mr. Lloyd Price's Queen, by Pdue Prince, out of 

 the Bey, 8. East's Quaver II., bred by that gentleman from 

 his own old Shropshire blood, 



&, great many different strains of English setters might be 

 adduced from all parts of the country, but notably from the 

 north of England, with claims superior to those of Mr. Lav- 

 erock's strain, up to the time of the institution of field 

 trials. Among these were the Graham and Corbet breeds, 

 those of the Earl of Tankerville, Lord Waterpark, Mr. 

 Bishop, Mr. Bayley, Mx. Lort, Mr. Jones (of Oscott), Major 

 Cowan, Mr. Withington, Mr. Paul Hackett, and Mr. Cah'e.r, 

 the last two being a good deal crossed with Gordon blood. 

 None of these strains were, however, so generally known 

 beyond the immediate circle of their owners' friends as to 

 have gained a universal reputation ; and it was not till the 

 public appearance of Mr. Garth's Daisy, and afterward that 

 of Mr. Purcell Llewellyn's Countess and Nelly, that the Lav- 

 erack strain attained 'its present high reputation. Before 

 Daisy came frut, Mr. Garth had produced a brace of very bad 

 ones' at Stafford in 1867 ; and it was with considerable preju- 

 dice against them that the above celebrated bitches first ex- 

 hibited their powers, in spite of the high character given of 

 them by Mr. Lort, Mr, Withington, and other well-known 

 sportsmen, who had shot over them for years. It is Mr. 

 Lort's opinion that Mr. Withington possessed better dogs 

 than even Countess : but it must not be forgotten, that pri- 

 vate trials are generally more flattering than those before the 

 public. 



1. Tbe tiull (valneiO) has a character peonliar to itself, somewhat be- 

 tweeutbutor tbe. pointer and the eopker spaniel, not ho beary as the 

 former's, ivml larger than tbo latter'*. It is without the (imminence ot 

 the occipital boue, so remarkable in the pointer, and is also narrower 

 between the ears. 



a be lone and wide, without anr fullness ncder 

 in the averxge dug Better at -teasfc tan 



tore. Between the 



• •be there sbo«l.l be a Blight depression- at 

 all events there anonlil bo no fullness-und [he «'ye-brow« suouM rise 

 sharply from it. The nostrils must be wide apart, and largo in the 

 openings, and the end should be raoiot and cool, though manyadog 

 Willi exceptiuLullv "out! tcunticc powurs lias had a remarkably dry r,us<-. 

 amounting in some cases, to roughness like thai of suagrean. In all 

 setters the end of the nose should bo black, or dark liver- colored; bat 

 in the very be»t bred White*, or leiqon-and-itnlter, pink is often met 

 with, and may in them be pardoned. The jaffs should ne exactly eaual 

 in length; a " stripe nose," or " pig jaw," as the receding loner oue is 

 caUed, being greatly against its possessor. 



3. Bars, lips, mil eyes (v- 4). With regard to ears, they should be 

 shorter than the pointer's, and rounded, bin not so much so as those of 

 the spaniel. The " leather" should be thin and soft, carried closely to 

 the cheeks, so as ma to show the inside, wniceit the slightest tendency 

 to prick I he ear, which should be clothed with silky hair little more 

 than two inches in length. The lips, also, are not so full and pendu- 

 lous as those of the pointer; but at their anirlss there should be a slight. 

 f ullness, not reaching qoite to the extent of hanging, '.t eve.-, m i- 1 

 ba Tull of animation, and of medinni size, tile best color Being a rich 

 brown, and they should be set with their augles straight across. 



4. Tbe neck (v. 6). rise-not tbe full, rounded muscularity of tha point- 

 er, being considerably thinner, but still slightly arched, and set Into 

 the head without that prominence of the occipital hone, .vliicli is so re- 

 markable in that dog. ft mast not be " throaty," though tbe skin is 

 loose. 



6. The shoulders and chest (v. 15) should display great liberty in all 

 directions, with sloping, deep shoulder-blades, and elbows well let 

 down. Tbe cheat should be deep, rather than wide, though Sir. L&ver- 

 ack insists on the cuatrury formation, italicising [lie word Wide in his 

 remarks at page 22 or his book. Possibly it may De owing to this for- 

 mation that hts dogs have not succeeded at any field trial, as: above re- 

 marked; for the bitches of his breed, notably Countess aud liaiay, 

 wlneli I have seen, were as narrow as any setter-breeder could desire. 

 I am quite ratified Unit on this point Mr. Laverack is altogether wrong. 

 I fully agree with him, however, that the " ribs should tie well sprung 

 behind the shonlder." and great depth of the back ribs should be ea- 

 -naanded. 



6. Buck, quarters, and stifles (v. 15j. An arched;Ioin is desirable, but 

 not to the extent of being •' reached" or '■ wheel-backed," « defect 

 which generally tends to aslow, up aud-dowu gallop. Stifles welt bent, 

 and set wide, apart, to allow the hind-legs to be brought forward with 

 liberty in the gallop. 



7. Legs, elbows, and hocks (v. 12). The elbows taud^toes, which gen- 

 erally go together, should be iftl Btri fgnt; and if net, the ,l pigeon toe" 

 or tn-tttrued leg, le I .... tonablt than tbe out-turn, In which the 

 elbow isconfined by its close attachment to the rine. The arm should be 

 muscular, and the bone fully developed, with strong and broad knees, 

 Bliorl pasterns, of which the size in point of bone should be as great as 

 possible la very important point), and slope not exceeding a very slight 

 deviation from the straight line. Mauy good judges insist upon aper 

 fectly upright pastern, like that of toe f,j .notimJ, out it must not he 

 forgotten, lhat,:lie seller has to stop hituself suddenly when at full 

 stretch be catches acent, and to do this with an upright and rigid pas- 

 lern, causee DonBhleraoIe strain on the ligament.*, soon ending in 

 "knuckling over;" hence a very slight bend is to bo preferred. 'J'be 

 hind legs should be muscular, with plenty of Done, clean, strong hock*, 



. y feet. 



5. 'foe feet (v. S) should be carefully examined, as upon their capa- 

 bility of standing wear and tear depends the utility of the dog. A great 

 difference of opinion exists ae to the;comparotive merits of the cat" and 

 hare root for standing wora. Foxhound masters invariably select that 



- tit, and, aa they have better opportunities than any other class, 

 of instituting the necc-sary comparison, their selection may be accepted 



ssfli Bd . •■ ■ ! ■ lyi ■ L i ■ i ■ ■ i J to stand wet and beather, 



' ' !i.!"-iaf,ve!y i.ece-sar-j mat it, ere should be a enoc. gruMh of lunr 

 hutweeuihe toes, and on this account a barefoot, well clothed with hair, 

 as it generally is, must be preferred to a cat foot, naked, as is often tbe 



it otly in respect of il 



Hits Turkish weapon; being far too great to make it the model of the 

 seller's Hag . Again,!' tared to a comb: bat a 



usually stratg hi -hull., fails, as the set ler's flag should 



"-'e i t-entie --.'■.-. ;i; and tin- r,enro-L resemblance to any familiar form is 

 to the icythew. tin s curve rerersed. The feather must ho composed 



'' ■ l! '. ' v-iiid the root, the lo»B shorl hair on the 



: i ' i, ter— eapeciallv toward the point, of whioh the bone should 



the feather Upering with it. 

 10. Symmetry nnd quality (v. 0). In character, the setter should dis- 

 play a great amount of •' qualib ," a turn which is difficult or explana- 

 ■"■ 'hough fnlly appreciated by nil experienced spi 



. tit bt 

 sportsman. Thin 



charm an artist, would he considered by the sportsman defective in 

 " quality," ir l:e possessed a enrly or harsh coat, or if he had a heavy 

 bead with pendant blood-hound-hko jowl and throaty neck. Tbe ten. 

 eral outline is very elegant, and more taking to the oye of the artist, than 

 that of the pointer. 



I feather of coat fv. B) are mnch regarded Tarn ong 



setter m ■-:. - : i - if sitsy hair, without curl, being considered a sine 



' feather should bo considerable, and should fringe the 



bind as well as the fore le-is. 



'-- lli ,.,.- tv. S) is not much insisted on among English 



"" variety uturu admitted These are nor, cm-rally classed 



as follows, m tbe order given: hi Black and while ticked, with large 



splashes, and more or less marked with black, known as •■ blue licltou ;" 



(3 1 orange and white freckled, known as orange Kelt in; Si plain orange, 



or lemou and wliiie; (I liver and whit.: fl tile, with alight 



tan markings; IB) back and white; (7 1 liver and white: (Sj pure white; 



(S) buck; (10) bver; (II) red or yellow. " ' 



Wokms v. Dogs.— The Comtnititpo on Agriculture gave a 

 hearing yesterday to Joseph Vickers, of Woburu, upon the 

 general question of dog* and hydrophobia. Mr. Vickers says 

 that every dog 1ms a worm itfidei- his tongue, and that this 

 worm is liable to irritate t'hjj'dog to the point of madness. 

 All that is necessary to prevent the possibility of hydrophobia 

 is to take the worm out. This he claims can be done, and all 

 danger avoided. He has been a game-keeper in England, and 

 says that the practice is common there and in Ireland. He did 

 not say. however, how the Legislature was to secure the un- 

 worming of all dogs, whether by the creation of a Dog Com- 

 mission to examine and operate on all pups, or otherwise. 



The above is taken /rom the Mining journal. When Mr. 

 Vickers has taken all the. worms out of dog's tongues, perhaps 

 he will turn water-witch, or engage in' the manufacture of 

 philosopher's stones. SeriouBly.nMr. Vickers is in error in 

 only two particulars; first, in the location of the worms; and 

 secondly, in the fact of worm* having anything to do with 

 hydrophobia. "Worms infeat the intestines of almost all dogs, 

 more or less, and can be easily removed by the use of areea 

 nut, santonine, or other vermifuges. They have no more 

 to do with hydrophobia thau the fleas which inhabit a dog's 

 coat. 



«■» 



St. Loots Kennel Clue. — The St. Louis Kennel Club has 

 had the misfortune to lose, from pneumonia, their fine red 

 Irish setter, Erin. Erin was one of the beBt field dogs in the 

 country, and the club will find it difficult to replace him. 

 Their Loo H. whelped on Wednesday of last week ten 

 puppies, four dogs and six bitches, by Elcho. The Colum- 

 bus Kennel Club's black pointer biten 'Belle, winner of first 

 prize at Baltimore, has visited Shaford. 



Dog Stolen.— Mr. John A. Nichols, of the well-known gun 

 manufacturing firm of Nichols & Lefever, of Syracuse, has had 

 the misfortune to have stolen from him his fine gordon setter 

 bitch, Lick. Lick is one year old, black and tan, with a white 

 spot on chest of li ; ;ht-buiid, well-feathered, and weighs almost 

 forty pounds. .Any person meeting with such a dog will 

 please communicate with Mr, Nichols. 



— Mr. Everett Smith (whose rmme, by the by, was erroneously 

 printed Emmett in our last, issue), of Portland, Maine, claims 

 the name Calr for a red setter dog out of his Cora H. bv 

 Manasseh Smith's Guy. This nnme is selected in affectionate 

 remembrance of tbe late Caleb G. Loring, a thorough sports- 

 man, whose genial qualities have been commemorated in these 

 columns. The names of the setters entered in the Kennel 

 Begister by him last week are Cora H, Cale, Bruce, Cosette, 

 Bouge, and Buby. 



■«■» 



— The Westminster Kennel Club have had the misfortune to 

 lose their fine black pointer bitch, Dinah, by Pete, out of 

 Phillis. Dinah, who was at the breaking establishment of Mr. 

 Van Sehaick, at Pennington, N. J., was apparently recovering, 

 or had recovered from her second attack of distemper, when 

 she was found in.the morning dead in her kennel. 



— Mr. Charles A. Brigg's (of Waterbury, Conn.) orange and 

 white setter bitch, Daisy, has visited ID. Blakesleo's Dash. 



BREEDING DOGS AT PUBERTY. 



Bellefonte, NoraowiT Co., March 24, 1877. 

 Editor Fotiest axd Stream. 



What is the cause of gun-shyness in pointers and setters, 

 and the alleged timidity of the progeny of imported stock? 

 Answer, Breeding doss too young. During the past few 

 years a great advancement for the better has taken place, ow- 

 ing to the importations by breeders of fiuestock from England, 

 in order to produce a finer quality and better field dog than 

 the so-called native, which, with some exceptions, has un- 

 doubtedly run down. The late importations are, of course, 

 not all champions:. Yet, still, their records on the bench and 

 in the field, show that they were considered of the very best 

 forms that England can produce. One of the oldest associates 

 of the New i'o-/ Ifci-'dd, who has had, perhaps, the widest ex- 

 perience of atlj man m America, having attended, in person, 

 every race of note in the United States, for the past twenty-five 

 years, and a thorough sportsman, told the writer, a few years 

 ago, that he had not seen, in' ail his journeys, more than five 

 or six really good-looking dogs, and that the peopU cere 

 breeding a nation o( mongrels, without regard to class, dis- 

 tinction, or color. Since then, the furore in the importation 

 of fresh blood has taken place, and now I assert that with pos- 

 sibly a very few exceptions that the present system of breeding 

 will give us a nation of idiots. Most, if not all, of the sons 

 and daughters of imported stock have been bred too young. 

 Breeding puppy-bitches and puppy-dogs at a year, or even 

 eighteen" mouths, is, I assure yon, the enuse of gun-shyness, 

 i .a, aess, timidity, and apparent idiotcy. If the pnrchas- 

 of puppies out oi the whelps of imported dogs would make 

 u i;i : "At what age w.oru the dam and sire of it puppy 

 repeat the question as to, g. sire and g. 

 truthful answer would be, '• Considerably tinder two 

 rsoi gi i -• pibnaPj cause, it pot the oulv 



s in all dogs, iu my opinion, is, because thefathers 

 and mothers, one or both, were bred at too young an age. 



Nervousness in any dog is the first step to gun-sl 

 next, timidity, the next, idiotcy. When 

 bred again, they will, in all probability, throw idiots,; if not 

 absolutely without any intelligence, they will, moni 

 be useless in the field, and elsewhere. Mating dog* n t puberty, 

 ao as to obtain a fine specimen of the kind, is liku marrying 

 girls and boys at thirteen aud fifteen years of age, i 

 improve the present race of men and women. Tan 

 this pernicious practice is in not educating oneself as to how 

 to breed, when to breed, and what to mate to; and I am also 

 inclined to believe, that realization of the dollars bag much to 

 do with this, great crime. Breeding dogs with suot 

 accomplished in a day, or a year; one "must be prepared to 

 throw away time, energy, and money, and what is greater than 

 all, one must possess a love for the task. It is a study of a 

 lire-time, and if, after all the pains taken, one is rewarded by 

 breeding three or four really grand animals, you can think 

 yourself very lucky. 



The proper age to breed all dogs and bitches, especially 

 those that have sprung from the loins of imported stock, is 

 certainly not before they have attained the age of full two 

 yearB, and, in a great many instances, not until they have 

 reached the third year. 



Of the many letters I have received on this important sub- 

 ject, I think a short extract from one may be noted: " I think 

 that one pregnant cause of the deterioration, or " rui: . 

 of dogs in this country has been breeding them at loo young 

 ages. The progeny of babies must be weak and scrubby; 

 must lack power, vitality, aud the powers of getting strong, 

 bold, vigorous stock. " Especially will this apply to the 

 progeny of imporb 1 stock. I: is M^ai a WIe, to he BUp- 

 posed that they become accustomed to the aei 

 climatic changes of our coast, as readily and naturally as the 

 progeny of dogs, loch a ited through generations of residence 

 and exposure here. No dogs, those of lately imported blood 

 especially, should be bred under two years old. Before that 

 time they acquire neithor growth, fo'rm. strength, character, 

 established constitution, nor the power to reproduce their own 

 best characteristics. This is : ' ■: ', ■ ■. .-.I. lor than 



our own so-called native dogs, or in anyway their inferiors in 

 vitality or constitutional vigor, it rsbecausc the 

 able to the same influences of acclimization that effect all new 

 comers here. The arctic fox, bred in the tropics, must suc- 

 cumb. The young of the leopard, exposed to thecold n 

 land, must die. Where the extremes of difference aro not too 

 great, where they are modified by the care and intelligence of 

 the humane ownership, not only may their baneful influences 



be successfully resisted, but the transported race, afti i a I 



nosing, may bo moulded into forms of greater beauty, and de- 

 veloped into outgrowth* of greater use and value than wero 

 the original and transplanted type. This will never be at- 

 tained where the young specimen is called upon to reproduce 

 his like before reaching, in himself, a healthy and ueclimtnod 

 maturity. What, indeed, is his like? It is an undeveloped, 

 inchoate state of transition, uncertain in the present, 

 in the future. 



Let, then, the breeders give their young blue bloods a chance 

 to become Americanized, aud do not forget that with good 

 care, good training, good food, good work, and — repeat it in- 

 cessantly— good age, they bid fair to "out-nosn, 1 n 

 best— bred, indeed, from only those who have come before— 

 and to be the best, strongest, fleetest, stauuehest dogs in the 

 world, and the continuous begetters of their own gallant ro- 

 sniiibhiuces from generation unto generation. 



Have any of the BO-cSlied breeders improved on the original 

 sire or dam? I think not. Perhaps wo may see oue at the 

 coming New Xork bench show. ,1 ohh M. Tatxob. 



Spbatt'b Bibotjit. — A correspondent writes as foUows, with 

 regard to the cost of feeding a dog on Spratt's biscuit: "In 

 your last number a correspondent asks tor information as to 

 the probable cost of feeding a dog on Spratt's patent cakes 



per month. I think your ol ' 



too much. The cakes in question weigh about 3f to the 

 pound, and when softened by boiling water they swell con- 

 siderably. I have used them more or less for the past two 

 years, and rarely give my full-grown dog more than two of 

 the cakes once a day (at night), excex>t when working him, 

 when 1 feed both meat and cakes, and think any dog will 

 keep in fine condition on two cakes per iay, !l ben not work- 

 ing. This, you see, would make the eosl about 6 or 7 cents 

 per day, or about $2 per month. I would advise a change, of 

 diet at least once a week. Jj 



1*3 and Mtier 



FISH IN SEASON IN APRIL 



Speckled Tront, Bolmo fonthinl.it.. Land-locked Salmon— Salmo glosefi. 

 While Perch,— 



PLCBB POK APBtl.. 



Black Gnat, on MtnaE.— Xo. 13.— Body and feet black, wings an b- 

 hoyallue. 



Dakk Clabet Gnat.— No. 13.— Body dark claret, feet black, wines 

 snbhyaline. 



Bkiqht ClabetGnat — Mo. 18.— Body bright claret, mixed with red 

 fox face, feet ginger, wings ot one sex hyaline, the other ocherona . 



Gbat Gsat.— No. 13.— Body dark fox, mixed with dark claret, feet 

 gray, wmga hyaline. 



Dakk fox.— N09. 10 or 11.— Body and foct dark fox. raided with 

 leruou colored mohair, wiugBBuhhyaline , tail three fibres of dark gray 

 hackle. 



Boon Man's Fit.— Nos. 9 and 10.— Body and feet, hare's ear aud yel 

 low miied, wings slightly mottled gray, tall tun mottle of the wood 

 duck. 



Olivb Gnat.— No. 13.— Body dark olive, mixed with bright claret, 

 feet ginger, wings hyaline. 



Hku Pox.— Nos. 10 and 11.— Body fox cub face, mixed Iril 

 reet red (chicken red), winga pale gray or subhyaline, (ail motiled 

 readier wood duck. 



BniHBT Fox.— Noa. 10 and 11.— Body and reet brightest part of tbo 

 fox, mixed with yellow, wings brightest hyaline, tuil pale yellow. 



Black Hacklsi, Flv.— Nob, 9 and 8.— Body orauge, tinned with gold 

 tinsel, hackle black wings, tail or the American partridge. 



OENESAL PLIES. 



Ibis.— No. 6,— A hackle dy, ribbed with silver tinsel; body hackle, 

 WingB and tail scarlet. 



I .l.mer.-No. 8.— Body peacock herbs, hackle black aud ml 

 nii.ved. 



Gbat PixiMTO.— Wd, 8.— Body peacock herl, dark gray hackle. 



PbofbssoS.— Nna. Band 9,— Bi 

 wings wood duck and mallard, dyed yellow, mixed, (ail scarlet ibis, 



(JCEEtt or toe Water —Nos. 8 and 9- -A hackled Ily; body oranga 



