^^^T^mr^TWST 



meanwhile making strenuous efforts to wriggle out of its 

 wrinkled akin. This individual [eft hurriedly," and as soon as 

 Mr. F. reached the platform confronted him with a policeman. 



" You'll 'skuse me, won't you, fir, but that's my dog, and I 

 means togive you in charge for stealing it." 



Here was a nice kettle of fish for an honest man lo have the 

 cooking of. But Mr. F. pulled the policeman and the strang- 

 er gentleman into a corner and talked parson to them. "Come," 

 he said, "let us reason together." The reasoning had this 

 effect : When Mr. F. got back to Bristol ho was minus the 

 pug, minus the original ten rounds, and minus five more with 

 which he had squared the bogus bobby. 



How do the railway companies treat you in America? 

 Ours do not. propose to be " common carriers of dogs," they 

 carry them in the. filthiest of mangy dens, and oftentimes lose 

 them. A friend of mine just writes me to say ho has lost a 

 valuable prize dachshund from inflammation. The dog was 

 30 hours upon a journey, which should ouly have occupied 

 ten. It surely is a case for the society that forbids cock- 

 fighting. 



By ihe way, some of those fellows who write to you about 

 spaying bitches, stopping dogs from barking and other attroci- 

 fies, ought to visit me at my Berkshire home. My kennel 

 man stands six feet four in his stockings, and is a Scot to 

 boot. I have a pump handy, and water tanks, and wouldn't 

 I souse them. 



Here conies postie, and as usual on a Wednesday, your 

 broad and welcome sheet. We like it very much in England, 

 and I wish it were belter known ; there is altogether a higher 

 tone about it than tbere is in most Yankee papers. 'Skuse 

 me, sir, as the gentleman said to Mr. P., but you Americans 

 seem to us Britishers to give yourself too much rope occasion- 

 ally, a long-headed lot though your are. Perhaps it's the 

 longitude of your heads (hat makes you take such latitude. 



With reference to J. R. H.'s method of removing a film 

 from a dog's eye, I think the plan good. Here is mine in 

 chrome cases, a Utile finely powdered quinine blown into the 

 eye of a morning. Time very often cures these things. For 

 the last three months I have been using ehaulmoolie oil in- 

 ternally and externally for the cure of skin disease, and have 

 every reason to be pleased with the result. It is extolled as a 

 remedy for rheumatism in the human being, and I'm going to 

 try it for canine rheumatism ; meanwhile I wish some of 

 your leaders would experiment a bit and give us the result. 

 By the bye, the oil as ointment should be diluted with four 

 times its weight of lard or sulpher ointment. I fear you will 

 think this letter immeasureably dull, but at piesent there is 

 really nothing to speak about. 



Bide a wee. Gordon Staiu.es, Ch. M., 



M. D., R, N. 



■ i e list saw ttue bird, and the 

 chances aro 19 to I agalnut his finding it. The other goes to work 

 quietly and systematically, ami once getting wind of It, nearly always 

 ilti'is It. Again, the size of the hag depends as raneii on the man as on 

 the dog, and how many men are there who, seeing their dogs ojcoltcdi 

 wild, and flushing blrdB, do not themselves catch the contagion? 

 Very few. 



Now, ii well-behaved dog— not a retriever— reoeiveB his encourage- 

 ment, kindnesseB and caresses when he finds and points his game. 

 That is Ilia time for being rewarded. The retriever usually gets his 

 when lie lias performed the "fetching" part, and more demonstratively 

 after He Baa had a difficult chase after a winged bird. Winch is the 

 more sensible? The excuse, or plea, that one can't get into a briar 

 patch or bad piece of ground to get his bird won't do either. Did yon 

 ever see or Know a genuine sportsman who, eager lo malee a bagi 

 refused to go in just such a place to obtain the shot? And are not 

 many birds died at In bad places when they could just as easily have 

 been, bad the sportsman only held his Are a moment longer, when Oie 

 bird would have cleared the difficult place? 



In quail snooting Ihe largest bags are made over dogs wbo have the 

 ability to piclc up, one by one, the scattered birds of the bevies, and Is 

 It not natural that the dog who only bunts to find and point, wtil do his 

 work better than one who has an added duty— and a bud one— to 

 perform 1 



Fashion rules the hour I We Americans won't follow It, l.hongb, by 

 adopting Johnny Hull's Ideas— they don't believe in retrieving— but our 

 own, which is better. " But we'll buy their dogs, and show them how 

 a dog should be trained Bensibly, blarst them." Ana now that all the 

 field trials adopt, retrieving as one of the essential virtues, and reward 

 It accordingly, 1 suppose It will be more fashionable than before. 



But, should our sporting dogs be made to retrieve? 



E. S. Wahhaxeb. 



SHOULD OUR SPORTING DOGS BE 

 MADE RETRIEVERS? 



COW. Sr-BING, N. C, April 10, 1870. 

 Urnion Forest and Stream : 



Much has been written and said, at great length, frequently and 

 recently, In all our sporting papers on this subject, and by good, sound, 

 practical sportsmen, too; each Hide of the question considered and 

 argued by t a em ; yet they arc not fatisSed with themse.ves nor each 

 other, and oall on the breakers to give expression tothelrriews, gained 

 by experience and observation, hoping thereby to settle it. 



Now, if the public would accept as final the conclusions arrived at by 

 a majority of, say, seven competent, practical, intelligent and honest 

 trainers— the latier to publicly promulgate their beliefs— this vexed 

 question might h e buried, for onr day and generation at least. I wiij 

 name seven gentlemen whose opinions, I think, would prove accept- 

 able. They are Dew, Campbell, whitford, Winfoid, Sanborn, Morgan 

 and wuddi-ll— or, If the latter cannot be styled a professional, take 

 Bolua. 



Will theso gentlemen "rise up and Explain," so that dogdom may be 

 rightly educated- and their masters aB well ? 



TO set the pen in motion, gentlemen, and hope to see you grasp and 

 wield It in turn. Though not an expert, I may t-til! say sfmetbing foe 

 you to corroborate or coademu ; and, in either case, you, having spo- 

 ken, my end is gained, and thanks are yours. 



I claim that a pointer or setter should never be made to retrieve; 

 more, be ahould never be allowed to. 



1. Because, as a rule, it unsteadies him. 



2. It excites, and tliorefore unnecessarily wastes, the stfenglh of the 

 nervouB system. 



3. It causes him to be on the watch for falling bird, and so cager.to 

 get it, after seeing it fall, as to often heedlessly flush remaining birds 

 In order to gratify his desire. 



4. It Impairs the exquisite delicacy of Ihcir scenting powers to a 

 greater degree than is generally conceded. 



5. It tends to make him less staunch, liable to flush at pleasure if 

 the owner be not near, and In many cases iriskes of a orst-class young 

 dog, ere he reaches ids fourth year, a shot breaker, chaser, and a 

 Worthless cur. 



C. When ordered to " Fetcn," it is expected of him ; and no matter 

 low many other birds he may flush, nor how long or far be may go to 

 get the bird ; whether it be "tipped," and runs and flntters or not, he 

 must catch and fetch it. For has be not been ordered, and must he not 

 obey ? 



T. It invariably, In time, lessens that caution which should ever char- 

 acterize the deg, part cularly wnen the birds ore shy and wary, and 

 extreme caution be necessary to allow the dog to approach near enough 

 to scent them and establish bis point. 



How many retrieving dogs are there en this continent that 

 truthfully called good and reliable in finding and pointing single, 

 scattered quail ? I have y 1 1 to see one who can compare with a num- 

 ber of non-retrievers that I have known m doing honed, faithful, sat- 

 isfactory work among a scattered bevy of close lying quail. The dogs 

 wbo did not retrieve were not really superior In nose to the others, but 

 l hey depended on it for ibelr esjojmenf, and not on Ihe *ye, mouth 

 and palate, as does the retriever. 



The advocates of retrieving present as their argument— in addition 

 to ItB tot injuring the tlcg, which I deny— lliat it saves them— the 

 sportsmen— much labor, time, scratches, wettings, etc., besides the 

 birds shot down; that they would lose many birds did their dogs not. 

 retrieve, and consequently would not make as large a bag as they now 

 do. This is about as weak an argument as It Is falic. The non-retriever 

 can And the dead or crippled bird just as well as the other ; will poin t 

 and locate It, and it's a poor specimen of Young America who cannot 

 secure it. A winged bird rnns and hides, and any dog of experience 

 Knows the difference between such a one and a dead or unhurt ouc, and 



■will generally roncl faster and come up to ft . Bet lie? say, "Yes, but 

 yon often lose these cripples, whereas, did a cur dog retrieve Bnd 



understand bis business, he would eaten it for ecu." So he would 

 often ; bnt don't you lose " cripples " occasionally with your retrievers 

 s,lso? And when the bird gets out of your dog's sight, and lies con- 

 cealed, buried beneath the leaves or grassy tnfis, where la your dog 

 hen? Kuuuing wildly about, snuffing here and sniffing there, but 



EXTORTIONATE R. R. CHARGES. 



TBOT, N. Y., April 19, 1879. 

 KOITOR FOBEST AND STKBA3I : 



For tricks that are vain, the men connected with the baggage depart- 

 ment o( the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, to say the 

 least, are peculiar. Copt. M. L. Norton, having charge of Mr. Calen- 

 der's Eory O'More and my Irish setter Hora, after the bench show in 

 New York, concluded to take the dogs home by way of the above rail- 

 road ; but, upon applying to the baggage-men for transportation for the 

 dogs, was informed that he would have to pay the moderate sum of 

 $3. That was more than the gallant .Captain could stand, and forth 

 with he gave vent to liis feelings. Although they offered to make a re- 

 duction, the Captain was on his metal, aucl concluded that he was not 

 In such a great hurry after all, and that the Albany evening boat would 

 answer his purpose just as well. In the meantime he would see New 

 York by daylight, and give the dogs some necessary exercise ; and 

 thus, strolling leisurely along through the parks, the blue and red rib- 

 bons on the dogs attracted the attention of the passers-by, and Boon tho 

 Captain and the dogs were surrounded, until he was glad lo move on. 

 But enough of this. I did not Intend to say anything in particular 

 about the elogs, but especially to call your attention— you who are ever 

 ready to champion the cause of the under dog in the fight -to this im- 

 position upon those who are compelled to travel with a dog. The 

 bench show drew hundreds to the ctty, and hence the railroads were 

 more or less benefited, and one would think that a large corporation 

 like ihe New York Central and Hudson River Railroad could afford to 

 be j list, if not generous. The officers and managers of every road owe 

 it to themselves that the traveling public shall be protected from being 

 robbed by their employees. No one would refuse to pay a fair price 

 for transportation, and 1 think ft this subject were properly agitated by 

 the sportsmen that some good would come ffgm it, and that the rail- 

 roads would see that it was for their interest to establish proper rates 

 for such transportation. I imagine that this imposition is of common 

 occurrence and of long standing, and sportsmen Have too long ellently 

 submitted to It. Fraternally yours, A. A. Thompson. 



Eight dollars tor the transportation of two dogs to Albany 

 was rather steep, even for the corporation mentioned. We 

 believe that theN. V. C. & H. R, B. is the only one entering 

 New York that has no regulations regarding the transporta- 

 tion of dogs. Fortunately, there are boats from Albany, and 

 we know of many instances where owners along the line have 

 crossed over and taken the Erie. 



Remedy for DibtemPHR— MtgjSwn, IruL, April 10. — Edi- 

 tor Forest and Stream : I send you a cure for distemper. It 

 draws on the credulity at a fearful rate, but after seeing its 

 effect I can vouch for its infallibility. Take a dog with a case, 

 no matter how marked or mild, place him on a bench or table, 

 and, with the forefinger and thumb placed on opposite sides 

 of the rectum, press gently at first and draw them together, 

 as if you were trying lo press something out. If the dog has 

 the distemper you will rupture a little sack situated near the 

 spinal column that contains as much as a tablespoonful ot the 

 most offensive mutter ever met with, and your dog will begin 

 to recover at once; for it seems to afford instant relief. It Is 

 better to provide a close-fitting kid glove before the operation 

 begins. The deig, if gently dealt with, will not offer the least 

 resistance. After an experience of more than forty years in 

 the management of dogs, this is the most complete specific 

 that ever 1 met with. There is not one shadow of danger 

 abont it so far as the dog is concerned. Indiana. 



(Jockf.r SpAOTbls— Buffalo, M )',, April 11.— 11" "G-. M. 

 D.," of Toronto, Ont. (who describes his fine cocker bitch 

 Brownie in your issue of April 3), will call upon me at 21) 

 East Seneca street, I will be pleased to show him some tine 

 cockers, from imported and prize- winning stock: one all liver 

 (dark) dog, with small white star on breast; one liver 

 and white-ticked Norfolk bitch, a beauty, and one all-brilliant 

 black dog, of about twenty-five pounds weight, of fine form 

 and coat, which possibly might suit him to breed Brownie to ; 

 and if not sold, can also show him some black and tan King 

 Charles (so called), from Canada. A letter addressed to my 

 initials at above number and street will reach me all right. 



J. B. H. 



Eastern Dogs on Westeen Game. — Editor Forest and 

 Stream : " Ivanhoe " seems to have created a wonderful sensa- 

 tion among some of the Eastern sportsmen in relating his ex- 

 perience with his quail- trained dogs on the prairie. There is 

 almost aB much difference between the quail-trained dog and 

 one that has been trained on prairie chickens as there is be- 

 tween one not trained at all and one thoroughly educated— on 

 the prairie. Tbere are some exceptions, no doubt ; but they 

 are exceptions. The prairie dog will range more miles in tne 

 day than the quail dog in five. Besides, the quail dog almost 

 invariably draws too close on the chickens. Alter an ex 

 perience of more than thirty years in shooting chickens, this is 

 my conclusion : Tho only way to have satisfactory shooting 

 on the prairie was to keep* two sets of dogs. I remember onc« 

 returning from a shooting excursion, and on the train meeting 

 two gentlemen from Louisville, Ky. They had with them 

 two of the most beautiful English setter dogs that ever I saw. 

 I asked them how they got along with their dogs. "Bad 

 enough, bad enough," said one. " When we started out, we 

 thought we had two of the finest-trained dogs in Kentucky ; 

 but we have come to the conclusion that tbey are not trained 

 at all, although we have spent many days in educating them." 



Indiana. 



—Mr. John Williams, Coralvitle, Iowa, writes us that his 

 Irish-English setter bitch Queen ( by I.. i'k 

 of D. Moriarty's Cassie), whelped three dog and three gyp 

 pups Feb. 28. They were sired by the red Irish setter Bob, 

 owned by Mr. John Stevenson of Iowa City. Bob is descend- 

 ed from stock brought to this country by the Prince of Wales, 

 Tho pups are very fine ones. 



_ .«. — 



—Tho liver and white pointer bitch Victoria (by Sensation), 

 belonging to T. E. Dillon, of Bloomsburg, Pa., was bred on 

 the 18th inst to Mr. K. M. Lindsay's dog Viscount. 



The Kjhfhkl Register.— The Stud Book, published by th e 

 National American Kennel Club, is now out, and can be had 

 from John W. Munson, St. Louis, Secretary of the club. 



The Sfbitngfield Kennel Club.— This is a new organi- 

 zation, with headquarters at Springfield, Mass. The officers 

 are: President, Dr. C. P. Lyman; Vice-President, E. H. 

 Lathrop ; Secretary -and Treasurer, Wm. M. Williams— all, 

 we believe, members of the Rod and Gun Club. One of the 

 specialties of the club is to board sporting dogs in the close 

 or any season, pet dogs when owners are away ; to give spe- 

 cial attention to breeding Bitches with pup. The hospital 

 treatment, will be first class in both medical and surgical 

 branches, and a special feature made thereof, a competent 

 veterinary surgeon (graduate of the Royal College of Edin- 

 burgh, Scotland,) having constant control and supervision of 

 the auinmls, together with a competent keeper and breaker. 

 Ladies going abroad, or to tho mountains or sea shore, can 

 send their pets to the club and be assured of kind treatment 

 furnished them. . . , 



The members of the club are, without exception, practical 

 sportsmen and owners of sporting dogs, and personally in- 

 terested in all matters tending to advance the material inter- 

 ests of legitimate sportsmanship and tha breeding and care of 

 dogs. The club is not established as a speculation, or as a 

 business for the members of the club or any one of them, 

 each and all only desiring that it be made self -supporting and 

 pay a reasonable return upon the sum invested. 



Full particulars can be obtained upon application to the 

 secretary, Mr. W. ML Williams, Springfield, Mass. 



KlMABKABLE INSTAIWB OF SAGACITY.— NeM York. April 



15— I write to tell a good dog story. Some years ago I 

 found under our veranda at Long Branch a Newfoundland 

 bitch with a litter of pups. On her collar was: 'I am Tom 

 Oliphnnt's dog." Who Tom Oliphant was or where the bitch 

 came from I never could find out. About a month ago, hav- 

 ing more dogs than I could keep, I gave the bitch to Mr W. 

 H Henriiiues who has a stuck farm in Sonicrville, W. ■>■, 

 and Dutchess was duly sent to him by express. This morn- 

 ing what was my surprise to find her back in our barn-yard 

 at'lionfc Branch. I have just seen Mr. H. at the Stock Ex- 

 change, and he tells me the bitch left his place ten days ago. 

 8 ' Akthub L. Sewell, 



—The champion pointer bitch Grace, belonging to Mr. L. 

 W. White, of Bridgeport, Conn., was bred to Sensation on 

 the 10th inst. Grace is said to be an excellent field dog. 



—Mr. < 'has. Dennison has bred his imported red Irish set- 

 ter bitch Stella (Rev. J. G. Leigh's Flash-Stella) to champion 

 Elcho. 



§ntiaml Unstimqs. 



Peck & Ssydeb's Catalogue.— Messrs. Peck & Snyder, of 

 Nassau street, N. Y., publish a catalogue of their very exten- 

 sive stock of all kinds of sporting materials. They furnish 

 full outfits for boating, base ball, cricket, archery, amateur 

 sleight-of-hand, etc. 



Lono-Kange Aucbtaiw— Editor Forest and Stream The 

 interest in archery, which within a few years has been created 

 in this country, and perhaps in a great measure by the maga- 

 zine articles written by the Hon. Maurice Thompson, of Craw- 

 fordsville, Ind., spread to a large number of towns, both East. 

 and West, last season. And, if we read aright the signs of the 

 times, this grand sport and exercise will extend still more 

 widely during the season now opening. Those archers who 

 have acquiretl any degree of skill are already practicing dili- 

 gently -, and although it is beyond question true, that "once 

 an archer always an archer," it is also true that the activity 

 thus early displayed has been stimulated by the organization 

 of the National Archery Association, and b;, 

 meeting which the association will hold in Chicago next 

 August. At this meeting many large money prizes and valua- 

 ble specials will be given. Championship medals will also be 

 given for both ladies and gentlemen. The competition for these 

 medals will involve shooting at longer ranges than most prac- 

 ticed at last season, viz.: For ladies, at 3D, 40, and 50 yards; 

 and at 00, SO, and 100 yards by the gentlemen. Now, the fol- 

 lowing question arises in many minds : "What course shall 

 we pursue in order to become skilled at these longer ranges ? 

 Shall we continue shooting at the shorter ranges, from 30 to 

 60 yards, until we attain a degree of proficiency, and increase 

 the distance as our skill increases, or shall we begin at once 

 to shoot only at the long ranges ?" This question is one about 

 which the theory and practice of eqtiallygood and enthusiastic 

 archers differ. Those advocating only long-range practice 

 say, "He who can shoot well at long distances can shoot well 

 at short," and advocate shooting at long-range even to become 

 a good short-range shot, and shooting only at long-range for 

 this purpose. Granting it is true that, in most cases, he who 

 can do good far-shooting can do good near, the question is, 

 What course shall be pursued in order to do good far-shoot- 

 ino-? Maurice Thompson,, in his publications, advocates 

 shooting at very short distances until an almost perfect score 



