230 



' FOREST AND STREAM. 



r M ffletmtl 



—The silent system of dog-breaking, as practiced by the 

 best trainers abroad, will be found very interesting, and 

 give some of our noisy sportsmen a thorough insight into 

 the method of training pointers, setters and other breeds of 

 dogs. We quote from a gentleman in the Field:— 



" The kennel consisted of about thirty pointers, setters, 

 retrievers, and about half a dozen cross-bred setters and re- 

 trievers, rough, hard, wiry-looking animals, which the 

 keeper told me he used for winter shooting, and for that 

 work preferred them to all others, as they stand the wet and 

 cold better than any other dogs, and are most useful in 

 making a varied bag. After breakfast on the morning of 

 my arrival, at the keeper's neat and comfortable cottage, I 

 was introduced to Tom the breaker (who scarcely does any- 

 thing else, and indeed he has his hands full), who was told 

 to take out three brace of setters, and away we went to the 

 hills. The way they Avorked, and the quiet, artistic man- 

 ner in which they were handled, perfectly astonished and 

 delighted me. The heather was first rate and birds plenti- 

 ful ; and I am told that in these islands they never pack and 

 lie well to dogs even till the end of the season, which, of 

 course, is a great thing for dog breaking. After luncheon 

 we had oat three brace of the half-bred ones. They cer- 

 tainly were not much to my taste as far as their appearance 

 went, but their breaking and performance were beyond all 

 praise. They were taken out in couples, and when we got 

 on the ground one brace (only nine months old) were un- 

 coupled and sent to work; they quartered their ground 

 well, went at a good pace, and found their birds in good 

 form, but without the style and dash in their gallop of the 

 true-bred setter, and without that beautiful working of the 

 stern which is so expressive in my favorite breed, the 

 setter. These dogs, although so young, were quite perfect 

 in backing and standing, and if ahare'jumpeduporcrossed 

 their path, they dropped as if shot without a word or a 

 sign. These half -bred ones can all be worked like regular 

 retrievers, as, if called to heel, they never offer to move 

 without an order under any circumstances whatever. 



Tom commences his work at six o'clock in the morning 

 by taking the whole team out on the roads for two hours' 

 exercise, and they are then allowed to run about, play, and 

 enjoy themselves pretty freely; but after breakfast the day's 

 drill commences by three brace at a time being taken out; 

 one brace is set to work, and the other two to follow at heel 

 in couples. When a point is got they are dropped instantly, 

 and not allowed to move from that spot one single inch till 

 the birds have been sprung, and they get a beckon with the 

 finger to come ou. One reason why Tom gets every dog in 

 his hands to such perfection is that he never allows a single 

 fault, however trivial, to be overlooked, and will have the 

 lesson, whatever it is, perfect before giving it up. He is 

 possessed of great patience, untiring walking powers, and 

 wonderful perseverance; and, although he is strict almost 

 to severity with his dogs, he soon gains their confidence, 

 and they all love him, and yield him implicit obedience. 

 After the spring breaking is over, and birds beginning to 

 nest, Tom takes all his dogs by turns to some ground where 

 the birds do not nest, and which is a resort of the old cocks, 

 and there practises them in dropping to shot (an old horse 

 pistol, which makes a wonderful report) — not ten or a dozen 

 times only, but fifty tim-3S if it is necessary, until they all 

 drop as a matter of course instantly, and without a word or 

 a signal. Dog-breakers may say we can all do this; so they 

 can; but how often do we see it, and how few there are 

 who will take the pains and do the hard work which if 

 entails? There is no holloaing or noise with Tom — his is 

 the silent system, and no mistake; and he possesses more 

 tact, innate knowledge, and real love of the art of dog- 

 breaking than any man I have ever seen, and I hope next 

 spring to see him and some of his team at some of the south 

 country mestings, when the old stagers must look alive to 

 hold their own. After the regular grouse shooting is over, 

 Tom, who is an excellent shot, kills from eighty to a hun- 

 dred head of all sorts of game every week over his dogs. 

 Practice makes perfect, and here they get it to the truth." 



— That beautiful suburb of St. Louis, Cote Brilliante, has 

 just besn stirred by a ripple of excitement. The house of 

 Colonel Hawk is concealed by dense shrubbery. Night 

 before last it happened to be occupied only by Miss Clara 

 Hawk, a. young lady of twenty, and a female house servant. 

 About midnight Miss Hawk, being suddenly awakened by 

 unusual sounds, saw a man in front of her window, who 

 had already moved the blind, and was about to effect an 

 entrance. She seized a revolver, which she had under her 

 pillow, and fired a shot at the intruder, wide of the mark. 

 A second shot, before she had recovered her aplomb, was 

 equally unfortunate. The pistol not only failed in its 

 deadly mission, but sent its ball through the palm of the 

 young lady's hand. The thief attempted to beat a retreat. 

 But this was not so easy. A huge dog which guards the 

 premises had been aroused by the heavy skirmish tire, and 

 now appeared on the scene by way of the left lower en- 

 trance. The thief made for the nearest tree, and enconsed 

 himself where he would be safe from the attack of any 

 dangerous domestic animal, and also far enough from the 

 house to be secure from ordinary pistol practice. The oc- 

 cupants of the house were terrified, not knowing the num- 

 ber of assailants, and not quite certain of the fidelity and 

 powers of their out-door auxiliary. Neither was there any 

 appearance of assistance from the neighbors. The dog 

 kept his place under the tree; the man kept his seat in the 

 branches, and if he had any partners they made no apparent 

 effort to relieve him; so the hours dragged slowly away 

 until morning, when the dog, fully satisfied in conscience 

 by his long vigil, retired to his kennel, and the thief got 

 down from ills perch and stole away in the early dawn, 

 Miss Hawk in the morning coolly told the story to the 

 neighbors, and, coming into the city, had her hand dressed. 

 — St. Louis Globe. _„_______ , 



—If ever there was a good excuse for not getting a paper 



out on time it is that offered by the Panama Star and 



raKL. The editor says that the Government troops were 



ipiugup'a continuous fire on the door of his sitting 



m,; and half a dozen shots did not vary three feet in 



iking. "To this annoyance," he says, "we must attrib- 

 ute our delay in getting out this edition, for it is difficult 

 to persuade men to work under a steady and dangerous 

 Eire." 



— The great race at Ocean Yiew Park, San Francisco, Cal. , 

 for a purse and stake of $2,000 for all ages, $2,000 entrance, 

 closed with eight nominations ; four of which came to the 

 post. Distance, four mile heats. Nett value of the stake 

 $20,000. The day was lovely in the extreme, and by 12 

 o'clock the grand rush had fairly set in, and an immense 

 assemblage of vehicles, horse and foot came down over the 

 hill leading to Ocean Park. Conveyances of all descriptions 

 form the four-in-hand drag to the mule cart blocked up the 

 way. Suffice it to say it was the grandest event ever seen 

 in California, and at half -past one, at a moderate estimate, 

 there was upwards of 12,000 people in the Park. The 

 starters were Thad. Stevens, of California; True Blue, of 

 New York; Joe. Daniels, of Michigan; and Mamie Hall, of 

 California. In the first heat Thad. Stevens took the pole, 

 True Blue next, Mamie Hall third, and Joe Daniels on the 

 outside. Mamie Hall won the first mile, with Thad. 

 Stevens second, and True Blue third. Second mile — True 

 Blue first, Mamie Hall second, Joe Daniels third. Third 

 mile — True Blue first, Joe Daniels second, Thad. Stevens 

 third. Fourth mile — Joe Daniels first by two lengths, True 

 Blue second, Thad. Stevens third. Time of heat, 7:45. 

 The horses started for the second heat at five minutes to 

 four. Thad. Stevens won the first mile by three lengths, 

 True Blue second, and Daniels five lengths. On the second 

 mile the relative positions of the horses were about the 

 same. On third mile all of the horses crossed the score in 

 close company, Thad. a neck ahead. On the fourth mile 

 Thad. and True Blue were neck and neck, Joe Daniels 

 crowding on the last half. True Blue shoved ahead and 

 opened a gap of five lengths, which he held in crossing the 

 score. Time, 8:08. In the third heat Thad. took the lead 

 again, True Blue and Daniels running neck and neck. The 

 second mile was a close run between the three. At the first 

 quarter of the fourth mile, True Blue failed, fell, behind, 

 and was speedily lost in the distance. Thad. pulled out at 

 his best and parted company with Daniels, crossing the 

 score nearly ten lengths ahead. Time, 7:57. The race was 

 now between Stevens and Daniels, the first favorite in the 

 great race, True Bule having been distanced through the 

 misfortune of putting his foot in a gopher hole, and was 

 lying disabled on the track. He was soon removed and the 

 course cleared for the final heat. A capital start was effect- 

 ed, but Thad. Stevens soon pulled four lengths ahead, and 

 was gaining steadily, when the horses disappeared in the 

 gathering darkness. On the first mile Thad. Stevens passed 

 the score thirty yards in advance. The crowd awaited 

 anxiously the reappearance as the foaming steeds came 

 down the home-stretch. At the second mile Thad. Stevens 

 had about the same advantage. Again the clatter of hoofs 

 Was heard, and Thad. Stevens came dashing in thirty yards 

 in advance, the winner of the heat and race. Time, 8:20. 



— The autumn running meeting at Point Breeze Park near 

 Philadelphia took place on November 13th. The day was 

 very cold and the racing was of a more than average order. 

 The first race was a hurdle race, purse of $500, distance two 

 miles over eight hurdles. There were three entries, George 

 West, Tammany and Crown Prince. The horses had an 

 even start, after the first hurdle had been jumped George 

 West took the lead and maintained it until six hurdles were 

 passed, when Tammany rushed to the side of George West, 

 both horses jumping the last hurdle together, when it be- 

 came a race on the flat, George West now showed his ex- 

 cellent form and won the race by a length. Time, 4:31. 

 The second race was a dash of a mile, for a purse of $500. 

 Three horses entered and started, Lizzie Lucas, Hattie 

 O'Neil and Ortolan. Lizzie Lucas ran from end to end on 

 a heavy track in the fast time of 1 :46£. The third race was 

 for all ages, mile heats, Minnie Mc, Artist and Hattie 

 O'Neil started. Minnie Mc took the lead on both heats, 

 and won very easily as she liked in 1 :54 — .1 :54. 



— The fall meeting at White Plains, Westchester Co., N. 

 Y., came off on November 13th. The track was in excel- 

 lent condition. The first trot was for a purse of $300, for 

 horses that had never beaten 2:50, mile heats. Five horses 

 started, Lela Blanche distanced all of them and won the 

 race in grand style. Time, 2:41^. The second event was 

 for a purse of $500,*f or horses that had never beaten 2 :26, 

 mile heats, best three in five in harness. Four horses started, 

 Joe Brown winning the first and third heats, Blanche the 

 fourth and fifth heats, and the second a "dead" heat be- 

 tween Joe Brown and Charles'- Green, when darkness com- 

 ing on, the race was postponed. The second day Blanche 

 won the sixth heat and race. The second race was the 

 purse of $400, for horses that had never beaten 2 :35, mile 

 heats, best three in five, in harness; $200 to the first, En- 

 tered nine horses, five of which came to the post. Ella 

 Millard won the first heat, Tanner Boy the second and fifth, 

 Fred Tyler the third, Ben Smith the fourth, and then Tan- 

 ner Boy and Ben Smith made a " dead " heat in the sixth, 

 when darkness coming on, the driver of Tanner Boy has 

 claimed the race; it is undecided. 



— If the complications with Spain do not become serious, 

 it seems to be probable that the government will send out a 

 vessel this coming spring to Behring's Straits. 

 .. «»•.>. 



— There died lately in Paris Jules Pierre Verroux, an 

 ornithologist, who has been attached for quite a long series 

 of years to the Jardin des Plantes. M. Yerroux was a 

 member of the firm of the Messrs. Yerroux, so well known 

 to all naturalists. American ornithologists when visiting 

 the fine collections at the Jardin des Plantes have often 

 ■ ■■' ih<^M<;-]vc \ :>r'7\T. YcrrouxV services 



. — * — . 



Secretaries qf University and College AfJiMic Clubs wiUpfeasemai 

 their reports not later than Monday in each week. 



. 4 



—Skates, croquet, cricket, archery, 'foot balls, Reming. 

 ton, Sharpe and Ward Burton rifles, single and double - 

 barrel guns, books and engravings offered to subscribers 

 See advertisement. 



— The organ of Harvard University out-door sports, the 

 Advocate, gives certain reasons for not seuding delegates to 

 the Foot Ball Convention held recently in New York. We 

 have read it carefully and fail to sec the "fundamental" or 

 "vital" points in their rules which would prevent them from 

 joining the Convention. If they wish to act the part of 

 playing a "solo," no one will interfere with them. It ap- 

 pears to us that if Harvard would reconsider their determi- 

 nation and join the Convention, the additional strength and 

 morale they would give, would add materially" to the. 

 furtherance of Athletic Pastimes throughout the I'nion. 

 We quote: — 



"It seems to us that the result of the Convention fully 

 justifies our action. It shows how fruitless it would have 

 been for us to have asserted our rules before the represen- 

 tatives of the other colleges, whose games all differ so rad- 

 ically from ours, while resembling each other in all vital 

 points. In the light of this result we fail to feel, as Yale 

 does, that 'it seems a little strange that any college priding 

 itself on foot ball should refuse to send delegates to a meet- 

 ing whose prime object was to adopt a set of rules which 

 should be entirely satisfactory to all the colleges concerned, 

 and to place foot ball on a firmer and more scientific basis 

 than has heretofore existed.' Undoubtedly the prime ob- 

 ject of the Convention was to adopt such a set of rules, and 

 for this very reason — that we saw not the remotest chance 

 of the attainment of this ob ject, if we had any voice in the 

 matter — we declined to join the Convention. We are mod- 

 est enough to think that the loss from our action in this, if 

 loss there be to any one, will be ours. We here reprint our 

 Kules : — 



RULES OV THE HARVARD UNIVERSITY FOOT-BALL CLUB. 



1. The number of players on each side shall be not less 

 than ten and not more than fifteen. 



2. The grounds shall be not less than 350, nor more than 

 450 feet in length, and not less than 225, nor more than 323 

 feet in width. 



3. There shall be two end boundaries and two side boun- 

 daries. 



4. The two end boundaries shall form the goals. To win 

 a game, the ball must strike the ground beyond either goal, 

 passing over it on the fly; but no game can be Avon on a fair 

 lick. 



5. When the ball passes over either side boundary, it 

 shall be considered dead; and the player first holding it 

 shall be entitled to a fair lick, and shall carry the ball with- 

 in the bounds at right angles to the boundary line at the 

 spot where it, first struck. 



6. When the ball passes over either goal, in any manner 

 other than to win a game, it shall be considered dead, as in 

 No. 5, and may be placed anywhere within a line drawn 

 parallel to the goal, and ten feet distant from it. 



7. The winners of the toss shall have either the warning 

 kick or the choice of goals. The warning kick shall he 

 taken from a point half way between the two goals. 



8. Any player is allowed to catch or pick up the hall. 

 No player is allowed to run with or "baby" the hall, 

 unless pursued by an opponent, and then only while so 

 pursued. 



9. No player is adowed to throw or pass the ball to an- 

 other player, unless pursued by an opponent. 



10. No* lurking, striking, hacking, tripping, nor butting 

 among the players is allowed. 



11. Any player, when on the adversary's side of the ball, 

 must either walk toward the ball, or must walk toward his 

 own goal, in a line at right angles with that goal. Any 

 player not complying with this law shall be considered as 

 lurking, and shall not be allowed to touch the ball until he 

 has reached a point on his own side of the ball. 



12. A match shall consist of five games. The side win- 

 ning three games out of the five shall be the winners of said 

 match. 



13. Each side shall appoint an umpire, who shall select in 

 turn a referee. 



14. It shall be the duty of the umpires to settle all dis- 

 putes, see that the rules of the game are complied with, 

 name the victors in all matches, and perforin in short all 

 the ordinary duties of an umpire. 



15. The referee shall be applied to when the umpires dis- 

 agree, and his decision shall be final. 



Yale's organ asserts that the games of the different col- 

 leges differed materially. To us, the differences iu W 

 Rules of the colleges at "the Convention seemed trivial; tlra 

 variations being chiefly in ihe details of the game, SUP 

 points as the length of the grounds, or the distance be- 

 tween the goal-posts. We should gladly make such 

 changes as these in our Rules, if so inter-collegiate matches 

 could be arranged. But our game differs so fundamentally 

 from that of the other colleges, that no compromise couM 

 be effected. We must either sacrifice entirely the principle* 

 of our game and learn a new one, or abandon all thought o 

 inter-collegiate matches. We have chosen the latter altci- 

 native." 



—At the annual athletic games of the Toronto Cricket 

 Club, held in that city on the 8th instant, T. C. Blake 

 w r alked a mile in nine minutes twenty-eight seconds^ J- 

 Buchanan made a running high jump of four feet nine 

 inches; and Mr. Henry ran a mile in four minutes fifty- 1* 

 seconds. 



—A correspondent favors us with the following revie* 

 of the base bail season at Princeton College:— The hall 

 season of 1873 was ushered in very inauspiciously h" 

 Princeton College. With only four men left from the re- 

 ceding year, and five to select, the chances for Siicce$ 

 seemed very limited. But with an energy -which has a • 

 ways characterized the action of old Nassau Hall, and a 

 Captain more truly devoted to and efficient in his labors, 

 few ; nines can claim an equal. The men were selected aflflg 



