FOREST AND STREAM. 



279 



Instinct tn a Young Pointer.— In a late number of 

 Land and Water the following appeared : 



Sir: A correspondent of Forest and Stream makes 

 the above the subject of a long letter to that journal, and 

 the incident detailed by him is certainly worth recording. 

 A pointer pup, only four and a half months old, and be- 

 longing: to the writer, was taken out by him in company 

 with another dog, a slaunch old animal of the same breed, 

 to try for some quail. The idea being to associate the 

 youngster m early as possible with his game, he was per- 

 mitted, after having seen the old dog make two or three 

 points, to approach the covey at which the latter had be- 

 come cataleptic, and the admirable manner in which the 

 voung idea on this, his first introduction to game, behaved, 

 is certainly a justification for the enthusiastic description of 

 the event furnished by his master. He says when he got as 

 close to the birds as prudence would allow, he stopped, 

 but the pup trotted on quite unconcernedly, when all at 

 once he stopped, and slightly crouched, with'his right fore- 

 foot raised, "it goes down again, and now for a rush into 

 the covey! No, he raises his left hind foot, which is in- 

 stantly put down again, and the first position resumed, 

 when'he settles down to as steady a point as any bird-hun- 

 ter wishes to see. A perfect picture— immovable, but 

 quivering with excitement. All this was done without a 

 single 'heed' even " The puppy also stood to three 

 more single birds during the evening, and the owner says 

 that he never goes out without him. "" This circumstance is 

 certainly a wonderful example of instinct, and although 

 young highly-bred pointers and setters occasionally 

 point game without previous training, I have never 

 known or heard of them doing so at such a very early age; 

 in fact, tome, a sober, steady-going English sportsman, who, 

 however, have seen the performances of many first-class 

 ones, the story seems almost incredible, and I should like to 

 have the experience of some of your readers on the sub. 

 .ject. — Oockshot. 



. We have written to our valued correspondent in regard 

 to the facts, and have received from him every assurance of 

 their reliability. 



A sad accident occurred at Currituck last week, where 

 Capt. George Gelston, Alfred Lockwood, Mr. Wade, late of 

 Grmnell, llinturn & Co., Mr. Carrington, and others, were 

 engaged in duck shooting, the gunner happening to blow 

 off the top of his gunner's head by accident. The gunner 

 Was concealed in the long sedge-grass, and Mr, Oarrington 

 mistook his movements for a flock just rising. A coroner's 

 inquest acquitted Mr. C. of evil inten'. 



HOW THEY TRAIN SHEEP DOGS IN CAL- 

 IFORNIA. 



C. E. Babb, in one of his letters from California, tells of 

 what an old shepherd told him about the way they train the 

 famous shepherd dogs in southern California." He says you 

 may -jo over the plains and hills there for miles and see 

 thousands of sheep, but not a man to watch them. Around 

 each flock or band of say a thousand sheep are half a dozen 

 dogs, of a peculiar breed — dogs whose progenitors were im- 

 ported from the sheep pastures of the old world. These 

 dogs take the entire care of the sheep, drive them out to 

 pasture in the morning, keep them from straying during 

 the day, and bring them home at night. These dogs 

 have inherited a talent for keeping sheep, but the shep- 

 herds do not depend wholly on that. They cultivate it in 

 this way — so at least the old shepherd says: "When a 

 lamb is born it is taken away from the mother sheep before 

 she has seen it, and a puppy put in its place. The sheep 

 suckles the puppy and learns to love it. When the puppy 

 grows old enough to eat meat it is fed in the morning and 

 sent out with the sheep. It stays with them because it is 

 accustomed to be with its mother, but it cannot feed 

 with tlem. As they get full the dog gets hungry. At 

 length, impatient to return where it hopes to get another 

 piece of meat, it begins to tease and worry its mother, and 

 finally starts her toward home; the other sheep follow, and 

 thus the whole flock is brought in If the dog brings the 

 sheep home too soon, 01 comes home without them, he gets 

 no supper or is punished in some other way. Hence he- 

 soon learns when to come, and to see that none of his 

 charge are left behind. These animals are trained by 

 taking advantage of their instincts and appetites." 



— ♦ 



pTke meeting of the Board of Appeals of the National x\s| 

 sociation for the Promotion of the interests of the American 

 Trotting Turf was begun yesterday at tlie Everett House in 

 this city. The meeting attracted a large attendance. The 

 old dockett consists of five cases, and the new one of thirty- 

 four. 



-♦»->- 



GENTLEMEN RIDERS WHO CAN'T RIDE. 



<< 



I KNOW many who dress m the brightest of scarlet 

 and best of buckskin smalls, who never saw a fox 

 killed by hounds in their lives. There are hundreds of 

 clever hunters completely spoiled by bad riders, who have 

 neither hands to handle them nor seats to sit on them. But 

 it is not policy on the part of the dealers to have lawsuits 

 with gentlemen, for there is an unjust prejudice against 

 horse dealers in general, although those who are 'licensed 

 dealers' are as honest in their business transactions as any 

 other class of tradesmen, and I have known many of them 

 to take back horses and return the money to purchasers 

 when the horse has been absolutely spoiled "in mouth, tem- 

 per, and condition, sooner than have a dispute or law-suit. 

 "A friend of mine, who is a large breeder, sold a horse 

 as a clever fencer to a gentleman a short time ago. He re 

 turned him in the course of a few days, stating that he 

 could not make him jump. I rode and subjected him to a 

 trial a few days after, and can conscientiously affirm that a 

 sweeter jumper never carried me over a fence, and I have 

 ridden a; many horses as most men. I know the gentle- 

 man who sent hi'n back must have had ) either hands nor 

 seat, for as I pulled him gently together, and felt his beau- 

 tiful mouth, with the single snaffle bridle, he answered to 

 tlie easy appeal of my hands and bowed his smart intelli- 

 gent head, as much as to say, 'I'm at your service, sir," 

 and walked (as only a temperate, well broken horse can 

 walk) quietly, with a long steady, business-like stride; and 



as the trial ground is interspersed with every description of 

 fence, after having satisfactorily tested his walking quali- 

 ties, I gave him his head, and as the splendid creature 

 bounded over the springing turf toward the first brushwood 

 fence, there was no rushing or turning his head to the right 

 or left for a bolt, as he seemed to say by his actions 

 'Give me my head, and sit me steady,' and 'forward is my 

 motto.' Yes; my beauty! thought I, you shall have^ your 

 head, for how can you jump unless you have it? Still I'll 

 keep a steady supporting feel on your mouth. Now for it 

 — one of your ears is pointed forward, and now the other, 

 in rapid succession; the rein tightens. Steady, boy! Hie 

 over, my fawn! There ! Why I never felt you drop, for it 

 h f he strength and elasticity of your pasterns which enable 

 you to bound from the turf again. 



"And now we come to these swamps, the sod-banks, 

 and stone walls. There, my boy, that is it; measure your 

 ground, and go a little nearer this time before you take off, 

 because the leaps are higher. Hie over again, my charmer! 

 bang go your h eels against the other side of the stiff sod bank, 

 with a sound like the thud of a cannon ball when it strikes 

 an earthwork as you drop your fore-feet neatly and firmly 

 on the turf; a second after and your hind shoes kiss the 

 ground,and at the same instant your fore-legs are stretched 

 out for the first of a series of delightful bounds over this 

 wide sweeping meadow, after which you shall charge that 

 stone wall which lies right in your front, Here it is my 

 boy; a trifle higher than the sod bank; but you have meas- 

 ured it by your eyes— I can tell by the working of your 

 beautiful ears. Hooroo! Oh, how I like you! Now for 

 the water jump at the bottom of this gentle slope. Whew? 

 you bird on the wing! I never felt you fly over this, but 

 I can feel you galloping as strong as a castle under me. I 

 glance my eye" down your fore-arm, as you bend your 

 well formed neck and head, which playfully answers to 

 the gentle supporting feel of my hands, and I can preceive 

 the prominent muscles of your fore-arm stand out, and you 

 are neither blowing nor sweating: your eye is as bright as 

 a diamond, and your coat shines like a mirror, your con- 

 dition is perfect, and it is a pleasure to ride you, because I 

 know that I am not distressing you. But here w T e are at 

 this side of the stiff blackthorn bullfinch, higher than your- 

 self, with not a ray of daylight to be seen through it. Your 

 ears play and vour head nods, and again I know that you 

 will top It. 'Yoi-over!' I say as you leave the ground, and 

 suspend me and yourself — with your four legs clapped 

 under your belly — in mid-air for an instant, and drop them, 

 feet downward, with a regular flop on the other side: but 

 ilie superiority of your condition, the strength of bone and 

 muscle ) and the dash. of pure blood which courses through 

 your prominent, veins, stands to you in this your time of 

 need, for the stiff dirt is rent to atoms and flies about in all 

 directions, as you gallop through the long ploughed field to 

 the most difficult jump in the lot, a double post and rail. 



"Can you do it? Yes; I feel your body working under 

 me; youare preparing for business, I know; but remember 

 it is double, and I must give you a i\ minder — a sharp clip 

 with the inside of the legs, but no rowel; a slight shake of 

 the reins, just to let you know that a little extra energy is 

 required — and will you answer to these signals? Yes, hie, 

 over, my jewel! we arc safe in our places on the other side; 

 a rolling seat would make any hands unsteady, and a job 

 of the spur at the same intant would have soured your tem- 

 per, and totally destroyed the cordial feeling between us, 

 which has enabled us "to surmount every obstacle; for the 

 rolling, unsteady seat is sure to be allied to a pair of heavy, 

 harassing hands, and frequent misapplications of the spur 

 would spoil even you, who are as good a jumper as ever 

 stood on iron. 



"These were my thoughts as I rode and dismounted this 

 noble creature, which the gentleman had sent back to the 

 breeder because, he said, that he could not, or would not 

 jump, the simple reason being that he had neither nerve 

 nor skill to manage him. 



" 'A fine mannered horse, isn't he?' said my friend, as 

 the lad led him back to his box, without a twisted hair on 

 his shining skin. 



" 'Very, indeed,' I replied; 'but deep-levered bits and 

 tight curbs, handled by inexperienced riders, will spoil any 

 horse in the world." And in this case it w T as fortunate the 

 gentleman returned the horse so soon after sale, for a few 

 more days' mawling him about would have completely 

 ruined him, and he would have been returned without a 

 shilling of compensation. However, a little quiet handling 

 brought him back to his old form." 



tgdMttiqz. 



MAN'S 



ABILITY TO MODERATE CLI- 

 MATE. 



ALTHOUGH extended observation and systematic ar- 

 rangement of natural phenomena have of late years 

 supplied the data for great advance in meteorological sci- 

 ence, the measure of man's ability to moderate climate, 

 and to what extent such modifications will influence the 

 mental, moral, and physical condition of their originator, 

 will perhaps forever remain questions for further investiga- 

 tion and continued dispute. Nevertheless, there now re- 

 mains little doubt but that man may, and does, in a great 

 degree, mould the apparently natural surroundings of his 

 home. He is the great disturber of natural laws; for, al- 

 though the individual human may bear as small a propor- 

 tion to the ends attained as the microscopic polyp to the 

 coral formations of the ocean, yet, as many generations of 

 these countless little beings have built up such monuments, 

 so have the oft-succeeding generations of man gradually 

 wrought changes upon the iaee of Nature, proportionately 

 marked and important. Unfortunately, the preponderance 

 of influence exerted by him has had the effect of destroy- 

 ing in a measure the pristine balance of physical nature; 

 for he has found it in this case more profitable and less la- 

 borious to tear down than to rebuild her essential monu- 

 ments. 



Thus, no great difficulty is encountered in changing a 

 moist atmosphere to one of less humidity — the clearing of 

 forests and draining of lands effect this, under certain con- 

 ditions — and an acknowledged advantage is immediately 

 derived; but when the other extreme is approached, far 

 greater obstacles are encountered in checking the ebbing 

 flow of Nature's current, and restoring the balance, while 

 the benefits accruing therefrom are long deferred. 



Vast areas of the earth's surface have been stripped of 

 the natural forest clothing through the medium of the jtxe 

 and fire-brand in the hands of man, who, thus removing a 



most potent element in the problems of evaporation and 

 piecipitation, has caused great irregularity in the rainfall 

 of these districts, resulting in alternate drought and flood, 

 and the formation of arid deserts or denuded wastes of the 

 primitive rock. Our earth is not becoming ameliorated 

 and better fitted for the habitation of the human race, ex- 

 cept in so far as that race directly undertakes works of im- 

 provement with a view to such amelioration. The more 

 direct wants of man are supplied by the most direct tax 

 upon Nature; and, unless thcrebc some compensation and 

 systematic effort made to restore her disturbed harmonies, 

 there is a constant balance of dram upon her resources and 

 increased disturbance of her laws. — Overland Monthly. 



—The Praye-r of Agassiz.— Professor Agassi? at the 

 opening of the Anderson School of Natural History, after 

 a few mocest -vords, felicitously suited 10 put all their 

 minds into fellowship, said tenderly and with touching- 

 frankness, "I think we have need of help. I do not feel 

 that I can call on any one here to ask a blessing for us. I 

 know I would not have anybody pray for us at this mo- 

 ment. I ask you for a moment to pray for yourselves." 

 Upon this the great scientist — in an age in which so many 

 other great scientists have concluded that praying is quite 

 an uscientiflc and very useless proceeding — bowed his head 

 reverently; his pupils and friends did the same; there in 

 silence that was very beautiful, each spirit was free to crave 

 of the Great Spirit the blessing that was needed. For our 

 own part, it seems to us tha "this scene of Agassiz and his 

 pupils with head bowed in silent prayer for the blessing of 

 the God of Nature to be given to that school then opened 

 for the study of Nature, is a spectacle for some great artist 

 to spreaa out m orthily upon canvas, and to be kept alive in 

 the memory of mankind. What are coronations, rayal 

 pageants, the parane of armies, to a scene like this? It 

 heralds the coining of the new heavens and the new earth, 

 the golden age when Nature and man shall be reconciled, 

 and tlm conquests of truth shall supercede the conquests 

 of brute force. — Eev. Dr. Deems, in Vhristicw, Age 



— The. largest sheep raisers in North America are Armigo 

 & Baca, ofAlburquerque, New Mexico. Their herds range 

 over 800 miles of territory, and in numbers almost beyond 

 human count, exceeding half a million at least. They are 

 usually divided into herds of 3,000, superintended by one 

 manager and several shepherds and dogs, for whom the 

 sheep manifest a great affection. 



Jlnmvei$ ffo ^ory ctifiondentg. 



[We shall endeavor in this department to impart and hope to receive 

 such information as may be of service to amateur and professional sports- 

 men. We will cheerfully amwer all reasonable guettwns that fall within 

 the scope of Urn paper, designating localities for good hunting, fish 

 ing, and trapping., and giving advice and instructions as to outfits', im 

 plemeats, routes, distance*, seasons, expend*, remedies, traits, species 

 governing ruler, etc. All brandies Of the sportsman's craft will receive 

 attention. Anonymous communications not noticed.^ 



A Constant Header., Corry, Pemi.— Drachms of powder are me as 

 ured by Dry Measure. 



G. N. W., St. John, N. B.— Your several favors are received and will 

 receive early attention. Thanks. 



Peankhs. Hudson, N. Y.— Black setters are very rare, and one of the 

 worst colors to shoot over. We will ascertain for you if there are any 

 for sale. 



L. M. 8. Stoyetown P. O., Ponn.— Wc cannot, procure the moccasins; 

 any country bootmaker will make them according to instructions in For- 

 rest and Stream Nov. 20th. 



Joslyk. Hartford. — The best boatman in the vicinity of Enterprise, 

 Florida, a year ago, was a negro called "July" — possibly so named be- 

 cause he was a handy fellow to have about one in mid-winter, 



G. W. H., Brooklyn.— 1. Bore, 45-100. 2. Decoys are useful when the 

 birds are scarce and wild. A good "caller" is essential. They shoot gen- 

 erally from points. 



Q ctertst.— Stiff tail ducks are known as pintails, spring tails, file- 

 stalks, &c. The greater black-head duck is known as the broad bill, 

 scaup, etc. 



True Sportsman, Madison, Wis.— What great sporting writer signed 

 his name Nimrod? Ans. C. J. Apperley, Esq. He died at the age of 64 

 in London, England. 



Antlers, Kingston, N. Y.— Deer will eat almost everything. We have 

 frequently fed them with ham, meat, sugar, gloves, newspaper, and even 

 cinders, just to see what they will refuse. 



Fox Hound, Lexington, Ky.— The system in feeding a hound which we 

 have always endeavored to pursue, was to make him fit for the day and 

 that day alone, and so on every day he came out. 



L. W. L., Cazenovia.— Costs $36; globe and peep sights $5 extra; set 

 trigger, $2 50 extra. This is for 30-inch barrel . §1 more per inch if longer, 

 and$l less if shorter. Extreme length, 34 in., minimum, 26; weight, 10 

 a 12 lbs. 



Dr. G., Baltimore.— Cut down your gun by all means, if you require 

 it for shooting over a dog. If for wild fowl shooting, let it remain as it 

 is. The only seam in a shooting boot should run down the centre of the 

 boot. Read Forest and Stream Nov. 20th., article headed "Moccasins." 



J. Delclisur, New York.— I have a very valuable dog. Do you know 

 a remedy for canker in the ear? Ans. To cure it, if he is in fair health 

 first bleed, keep him cool and low, and inject an astringent wash, com- 

 posed of six ounces of rain water and as much alum as will dissolve- add 

 twenty grains of white vitriol, and inject with a small syringe. 



Subscriber, Cor. Second and Poplar streets, St. Louis. We know of a 



brace of setter pups eight months old good strain, handsome, and the 

 color orange and white. Price 50. A brace of setter dogs two years old, 

 good strain and well broken on the silent system, will cost $175. If you 

 require either you can write and we will give full particulars. 



Chasseur.— We cannot tell who makes the best breech-loader, there 

 are t o many. State what price yon are willing to give, and we can put 

 you in the way of getting a good and serviceable gun. Our agent in Lon- 

 don, England, will procure them for you. An English pointer of the 

 class you speak of will cost $150 including all expenses of transportation, 

 board, care, etc. The setter very little less. 



Powder Face.— 1. Should the paper shell fit tight or looser Answer. 

 Tight of course. 2. Which is the finest grain, No. 5 or 7 of Orange 

 lightning powder? Answer. No. 5. 3. What grain of Hazard powder is 

 the size of Tatham's No. 8 shot? Ans. It would be impossible to tell the 

 exact size of powder on account of the difference in shape. It is some- 

 where between 5 and 6 grains. 4. Which is best for a paper shell, felt or 

 pink-edged wad ? Ans. For ordinary shooting the pink-edged wad. 



Ramon.— 1. Get guides for Conlogne district, Canada, at Ottawa City 

 or Anuprior. 2. Charges for guide, $1 per day and found. 3. Hear, 

 beaver, fox, marten, otter, sable and lucifee. 4. Newhouse's traps, made 

 at Oneida, N. Y.. are the best by long odds. 5. About the same all 

 through the ceunties of Pontiac and Ottawa. Province of Quebec See 

 articles in this day's Forest and Stream, on "Trapping" and "Winter 

 Sports in Canada." See also our standing rule above, respecting anon- 

 mous inquiries. 



—The difference between an old hat on a stick and money 

 with a spendthrift is that one scares crows and the other 

 grows scarce. 



