August 16, 1883.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



81 



Gamoti, Graham, Inman, Astley, Smithies, Potts, etc. I do 

 not remember the names of all who have awarded prizes to 

 Ma voi- Of Bingley, but those I have, named will suffice for the 

 present. The character of any of these gentlemen is no more 

 likely to be damaged by Mr. Kirk's insinuations than is the 

 Mayor's reputation by his opinion. 



Mr. Kirk wishes us to believe that spleen is faraway from 

 his character, and seeing that such is the case, he will perhaps 

 explain bow it comes about that the moment the Mayor gets 

 into Col. Taylor's hands he erases to be a Newfoundland and 

 is only a big black dog. I am anxious to know this, and 

 especially so seeing that six months ago Mr. Kirk wrote me 

 that he hoped he might win the dog in my raffle, for, said Mr. 

 Kirk, 'he is a grand dog.'' 1 want Mr. Kirk to reconcile him- 

 self to this fact, and in the future when he wishes to attack 

 either Col. Tavlur Or anybody else, I would adeise him to go 

 about it iu a more gentlemanly and manly manner, Benedict 

 was a good dog so long as be was owned by the Hornell Club, 

 and Mr. Kirk had much tossy for Mm. Ownership appears 

 to carry great weight with Mr. Kirk. I have noticed this fre- 

 quently, but I cannot convince myself that partiality is a de- 

 sirable quality even in professed dog judges. 



Now let us see bow Mr. Kirk ever came to judge at a 

 bench show. Nearly two years ago a gentleman was asked to 



i'udge at a bench show, business prevented his accepting, and 

 ic. was asked if he knew of anybody that could replace him. 

 He was iu a fix and could think of nobody. Somebody had to 

 be found, qualified or not. When things were pretty nearly 

 given up in despair, it was suggested that as Mr. Kh-k owned 

 some, spaniels, he might know "something' about one or two 

 other breeds. Precious little that something is lound to be on 

 elOSS examination. 



This wholesale system of appointing at random men of no 

 practical experience whatever to judge non-sporting dogs, will 

 be the rain of many breeds. Fancy asking a man to judge 

 twenty or thirty classes who, I behove, never bred a good 

 looking dog iu his life. Is it not absm'd, and ought, such a 

 system not to be wiped out.' Those who love good dogs anil 

 wish to see them improved, must surely agree with me, 

 even though I am an Englishman. Mr. Kirk told me that he 

 had been in Canada about thirteen years, but had attended 

 a few English shows. Now, can sucn a record qualify a man 

 to go into a riug and judge nearly all the dogs in a show.' 

 Impossible. A man who has not bred good dogs for years, 

 and who has not seen and studied hundreds of the best, speci- 

 mens, cannot understand their points. I am informed, on the 

 best authority, that Mr. Kirk never bred a single first-class 

 specimen of any one breed. If he has, let him name it. and 

 he will have my apology. He professes to understand 

 spaniels, and to be an authority on them, but what good 

 spaniels did he ever breed j I cannot find his name mentioned 

 anywhere either as an authority on dogs or as a prominent, 

 exhibitor or bleeder; and as for his being a judge of spaniels, 

 1 deny that he has had the necessary experience among them 

 tfi quality him to render just decisions on their merits. No 

 need for me to go through all the classes Mr. Kirk profess 

 to judge, and about which he only knows what he ha- ■_ ■ 

 from books. What a man can learn about dogs from books 

 is, iu my opinion, worse than nothing. Those who have 

 been accustomed to hear Mr. Kirks name alluded to 

 as a judge, of spaniels, may think me presumptuous 

 in attacking him on what lie considers his forte. Sis 

 stronghold, alas! is but a combination of paper and ink. It 

 must be understood that I do not set myself up as an author- 

 ity on spaniels, at the same time I have" owned good ones, and 

 have been among the best of them for years, my experience 

 therefore with the various breeds, I am glad to sav, does not 

 resemble Mr. Kirk's. In 1871, I owned and exhibited the 

 champion clumber spaniel Douglass, winneratthebestshows. 

 In l.STr,, 1 owned und exhibited Dr. Bonbon's celebrated black 

 bitch Nelhe. Then, in 1877. I owned Fatsey, the nest Irish 

 water spaniel of his day: he is illustrated in "British Dogs," 

 and we. mat not again see his equal. Later I exhibited hit 

 champion Sussex spaniel Max, winner at Birmingham, and 

 other good shows. What good spaniel did Mr. Kirk own ten 

 years ago: What good spaniel did he own two years ago:' 

 These are questions any man professing to be a. judge may "lie 

 asked. I wish to impress one thing in particular on" Mr. 

 Kirt, it is tin's; Paper and ink will ne%-er make a judge, 

 though it may deceive the public. A man cannot possibly 

 qualify himself for a judge in twenty-five minutes, as some 

 sup] lose. 



The tii-it time I exhibited a dog is now about fifteen years 

 ago. The beast got nothing, of course, but I did not tell the 

 judge it was the best in the world, and offer to bet him 

 ••enu that such was the ease. I made up my mind to win the 

 highest honors, and to do it with dogs pf my Own breeding. 

 Perseverance overcomes much and 1 succeeded- The first 

 special prize I ever won for absolutely the best dog in the 

 show I won at Otlev bi 1B73. and in 1870 I won test prize at 

 Birmingham, with a pointer dog of my own breeding, and 

 also bred the second prize winner, which has rarely if ever 

 before been done. I also won first prize for bitches at the 

 same show with Lady Isabel, one of the best lever saw. Since 

 187J6 1 have won more prizes with dogs I think thau any ama- 

 teur living. I have been connected, too. with the press, for 

 upward of ten years, and during that time the number of 

 dogs I have seen" and examined must be fabulous, but 1 do not 

 set" myself up as an authority on every breed under the 

 sun. '1 know there is much for me to learn; there is 

 a life's study in dogs— and how men can be found with 

 the audacity "to go into a ring to display the most lamentable 

 ignorance imaginable is something beyond my ability to 

 understand. They appear to think there is bono)' attached 

 to it, I am acquainted with a would-be judge who writes 

 Up and down the. country offering his services free, if the pro- 

 moters of the show will send him a pass to and from the show. 



W« now come to a very interesting part of Mr. Kirk's cor- 

 respondence. He writes! "No hone.-: I. man would accept the 

 task of judging a breed he knew very little about, and J 

 claim to be honest. As a matter of fact, I have scrupulously 

 refused to judge classes that I had not the best means of 

 studying arid felt competent to render a faithf id, intelligent 

 and impartial judgment upon." This looks very pretty on 

 paper, but is it true ; I have no intention of pointing out all 

 the blunders 1 have seen Mr. Kirk commit when attempting 

 to judge at a bench show; had I to do so I would be called to 

 order for monopolizing one-half at least of this week's issue. 

 Cue case, therefore, will suffice. I will take the tint class I 

 ever saw Mr. Kirk attempt to judge: the champion fox-ter- 

 rier dog class at the last New York show. He placed Joker 

 in front of Royal. A more absurd decision was never made. 

 Royal is at least fifteen points out of a hundred Joker's supe- 

 rior, and yet the dogs were judged on Mr. Kirk's much 

 vaunted points system. Possibly he made a mistake in the 

 addition after getting his points down, but it was painfully 

 conspicuous to any fox-terrier judge that Mr. Kirk just knew 

 that the dogs before him were fox-terriers, and nothing 

 mote. Will Mr. Kirk, for tiie benefit of fox-terrier 

 fanciers, publish a list of the points he gave these 

 dogs, for when such an "iutelligeut decision" is made, 

 one feels interested to know the whys and wherefores. 

 Such decisions as this are what we must ever expect from 

 other than practical men, and it is such decisions, ignored by 

 the press, that mis. end breeders, and prevent their succeeding 

 to breed the true type of dog. I handled Joker in the ring for 

 Mr. Huthei-furd, and when I came out with the dog, a well- 

 known English fox-ten ier breeder who was present, and with 

 whom I am acquainted, remarked. "Can you conscientiously 

 accept first prize." I replied that the dog did not belong to 

 me. But wsathe property of the owner of the best dog. and 

 that therefore it was all in the family. Then said he. "What 

 a farce!" "Oh!" said 1, "that's a mere nothing." "Doesno- 

 hody complain?" said the fox-terrier breeder. "Not at all," 



said I, "on the contrary, and the probability is that if you 

 look at the reports on the show von will find that Mr. Kirk is 

 therein stated to be the best judge in the world." This is a 

 pie. of the decisions that Mr. Kirk tells us are faithful. 



telligent anil 



be the result of limit* 



I- fli 



nltt 



1 study I do 



they a 

 make 



not the result __ 

 judge. Pleading about pict 

 artist; studying instruments never made a musician. Watch- 

 ing a race across country never gave a man a good seat in a 

 saddle. A grain of practical experience is worth a ton of 

 book knowledge. 



Mr. Kirk sums up his ignorance of dogs and dog shows when 

 he says, "I have seen a good many shows but never a H$ar col- 

 lection of dogs thau at Madison Square last mouth." 1 don't 

 suppose Mr. Kirk ever did see a Hner collection of dogs; they 

 not to be seen in Canada. I attended the dog " 



at Nottingham, England 

 any collection I have evi 

 the Engli=h setters, Irish 

 better classes, oi 

 New York show 

 especially grevl 

 Bernards. "Ne'wi 

 The exhibition, 1 



i 18 



letfe 



•thing lik 

 but all "othe 

 itnds, deerhound; 

 midlands, and the 

 ■hole, 



he di . . 



n America. I d 

 and Irish water 

 so good as I hav 



fox-tei 



s far a 



r exceeded 

 not Bay that 



se^n at the 

 vay in front, 



mastiffs, St, 

 rrier classes 

 iy in front of 

 :i)n, who was 

 twel 



Westminster Kennel Club's sho 

 secretary of the Darlington horse and dogsho' 

 years ago, could tell anybody that the non-sporting dogs hi. 

 saw in England at that time greatly exceeded anythingin this 

 country, and it will bo admitted, 1 think, that we have made 

 great progress since then. I was not very far wrong when I 

 said that dogshows in this country were ten vears behind the 

 times. Why, at the Ne w York show last year there was not a 

 single first-class non-sporting specimen in the show, and I chal- 

 lenge either judges or jury on that occasn 

 letters, please), to come forward and nan 

 and the absurd arguments advanced by som 

 iioai «V plvmr cannot alter facts, and the si 

 their attention to the improvement of their 

 it will be for them, and my ad' ' 

 by the remarks of omi 



; one. Bragging, 

 under shelter of a 

 met breeders turn 

 dogs, the better 

 i to them is not to be led 

 lekers, who really know less 



about (fogs, in many eases, than themsel 



Dr. Niven comes forward to champion the cause of his 

 spaniel-breeding friend, Mr. Kirk, which shows a great want 

 of judgment on his part. He, however, makes a fearfully 

 haky attempt, and his remarks crumble to dust iu the face of 



i few 



■ facts. 



to be 



ago b 



such 

 :■ did 



Eolloi 



the cl 



them 



r,.. i!i 



t happen that Dr. Niven now considers Mr. Kirk 

 great authority on dogs, when barely two years 

 iot recognize nim as a judge at all; Dr. Niven 

 ow weeks previous to the London show of 1881 as 

 here is nobody out here at all qualified to judge 

 Neither do I know of anybody that can judge 

 satisfaction of the committee except yourself.' 

 it clearly show how long Mr. Kirk has been iu 

 gaining his wonderful knowledge, of dogs? His own friend, 

 residing but a few miles from his doorstep, was fully aware 

 at, that' time that he was no judge of dogs. Mr. Kirk is now 

 able and willuig to judge anything. 



Dr. Niven also refers to the practice of "faking" dogs. I should 

 never have made public what I now feel myself fully justi- 

 fied in stating, had Dr. Niven not taken upon himself to preach 

 what he does not practice, for this gentleman did his 

 very utmost to persuade me, when at his house in 1881. to 

 show him how to straighten the coats of his curly span- 

 iels, and I refused to do it. Said he, "I would give anything 

 to know how to take the curl out of a spaniel's coat." I told 

 the Doctor that he must live and learn; whether he now 

 knows how to straighten a spaniel's coat or not 1 cannot say, 

 but I nave an idea that in the future he will remember that 

 the moral is "Practice what you preach 1" 



The further we cut into the cake the sweeter it taste?. Dr. 

 Niven tells us that Mr. Kirk made a mistake in awarding a 

 im'ze to a aog whose tail was shaved, but this great discoverer 

 of shaved tails forgets that at the New York show of lssi, he 

 awarded first prize, and second prize also, in one class to dogs 

 with shaved tails, as he terms .t. Yes, Doctor, this is perfectly 

 true, I can answer for the veracity of the statement as I ex- 

 hibited the first prize winner in the class referred to myself. 

 Dr, Niven alludes with pride to the fact that he disqualified 

 the best Yorkshire terrier at the same, show, because its coat, 

 was oiled. Ho had clearly no right whatever to do this, 

 especially seeing that he awarded first prize to a dog that had 

 also oil on its coat. Yes. Doctor, this is rjerfectly true, I ex- 

 hibited the first prize winner inyself and am in a position to 

 know. Alas! Mr. Kirk and his friend have much fc ' 



l't tell 



is not fakiiig to put a littic 

 Tier, neither is it a ease of 

 a. bull-terrier. If you dye a 

 i make prick-ears 'into cirop- 

 you straighten a ringtail 

 I question the ability 



ut know how to fake. th. 

 whim other people's are faked. 11 

 oil on the coat of a Yorkshire te 

 faking to trim the ears and tad of 

 dog, that is a case of f akin g; if vol 

 ears, it is a case of tampering; if 



you are guilty of faking alEO, and t 



either of Mr. "Kirk or his friend to discover any case of faking 

 if artistically performed, 



I read Col. Taylor's sensible letter with pleasure, and it is en- 

 couraging to know that there exist men who have the moral 

 courage to speak out plainly, and who are not warped by 

 prejudice and ignorance into believing that everything Ameri- 

 can is the. best in the world. I do not say that 1 agree with 

 all that Col. Taylor has written, We certainly disagree, and 

 ever shall do, 1 suppose, about the chest of the setter, for in- 

 stance. The chest, must be deep and not wide, with the 

 shoulders sloping and well placed, I have yet to learn that 

 anything required for speed shotdd be wide in front. If re- 

 quired for strength "alone,'' the wider the better. The 

 draught hoise cannot lie too wide across the chest, but not so 

 the race-horse. The mastiff— a watch dog— who relies on his 

 superior power to pull his man down, must be wide in the 

 chest, but a very different state of things must exist in the 

 case, of greyhounds, deerhouuds, pointers, setters, etc. These 

 i-.lv ina' eivat measure, on speed and endurance, and experi- 

 ence has not taught me that a broad chest is conducive either 



to th 



. Kirk and Dr. Nil 



i of 



nted with h im look 

 such accusations with the contempt they deserve. AVho ever 

 advertised Mayor of Kingley to better advatage than Messrs. 

 Kirk and Niven; I thank them. 



Col. Taylor is an ardent admirer of dogs, and is a fair good 

 judge. His object is to improve American dogs, and he courts 

 no favors from any one. It is a pity that nobody has y e.t been 

 able to write an intelligent reply to his remarks aboutthe dogs 

 at the late New York show, for a sensible discussion might have 

 done much toward opening the eyes of many who are led 

 away by what they hear, instead of being guided by what 

 they" see. But it is not pobcy, on the par' of seme people, to 

 allow such a discussion. 



tied takes issue with any one who belittles our sport 

 hat a sporting dog is. so 



in his element, and the ear: 

 heard. 'No doubt he had n 

 What Mr. Dalziel really " 

 was surprised to find seuoi 



ug I e 



tell, 



I 

 good: they far 

 l :iari no idea that such "rapid 

 progress bad been made." Th sn said Mr. Dalziel, "I have 

 attended shows in Knglund. I'Vaucouud Goruiauy, hut I never 

 saw in the whole course of nry experience such a lot of 

 mongrel bin; -.,.,. hibited in tbe other classes; How 

 such a lot could ever lie collc-ted :il one n'memone building 

 is something ,,." Thisiswhai Mr. tailzie] said 



to an intimate frit i Hot :■': From what Ihave 



seen since I came here m IS81 I know that Mr. Dalziel was 

 not far off the mark in what he stated. 



It te Simply ridiculous for Mr. Cornell to tell us that 

 Mr. Herbert Eamaji informed aim that he had gone 

 "critically among ttie Jo-." and found the hist New York show 

 better on the whole than th ■ creat English shows. It is 

 equally absurd and misleading to -ai that, Mr. Inman is a 

 judge of dog-'. I happ i:, t. ■ Imi "v Mr. Inruau. He introduced 

 himself to me at the New York show- two vears ago. We had 

 same talk toe I be liked to sec a good 



pointer or --'i -. bi : little interest in the ofiher classes. 



That Mr. Inman is a folly go d tellowldon't doubt; hut he 

 is not a hidse of clogs, and I think doe- nof nrof-ss to be. If, 

 however, he is, perhaps Mr. Corned will name some of the 

 dogs he has bred of anv note. The drowning mar, will catch 

 at a straw, Mr. Cornell, but do stieh statements not place 

 your club before the public in averj ludicrous light* 



There was no necessity for Mr: Cornell to get'^angry with 



? the 



third pi- 



glings ga- 



Hi 



e club offered him a silv 

 the fee chargi ; 5 

 wu eyes: he I hough 

 daily as the show was 

 accordingly saw Mr. 



the lies 

 tender 



I. too, have brought down upon rue the censure, of the. 

 Westminster Kennel Club; Mr. Cornell has kindly in- 

 sinuated on the pages of this paper (hat 1 am a dog 

 dealer. But this te nothing on Ule face of the crime 



h&vi committed, which iatk- as th blackest ever 

 entered oil the pages of the blue-book at Babylon. 

 I b d Ehe aud ifcj iu an English eontemporarv to cive a 

 ■■corerl ,/,-, ■ - ,>.,;, 1 ■.-l'til looking iwiuter Sensa- 



tion, and the man who does that knows what to expect. This 

 1- . 1:, > .i-in Mr. Cornell and his club that 



Qly 1 '• -\\ York show were written for a paper 



with which my name has been connected for veal's, anil at 

 the request of a friend, who is on" of our best authorities on 

 dogs, I neither can nor n ill be led from a faithful discharge 

 of my duties. Con I 1 1 conscientiously have represented toe 

 dog as a good or,» 1 should have done it. I could not Ota 

 fi lenci - placed in my Integrity and judgment, and that 

 confidence w., ■ ,',ir ,1 I have yet to learn that dishon- 

 esty make, a gentleman: it treque ttlj m ikes money, though, 

 and money some people supposi mat.- a gentleman. Mr. 

 Elliot Smith's remarks about attitudinizing, particularizing 



and neutralising irea little ■• rid th testlon, and remind 



me of a lootless stocking without a. leg, which wa s an Irish- 

 man's definition of nothing. 



in order to make me as unpopular as possible with those 

 unacquainted with me, I urn represented as wishing to run 

 down everything American, and it has been said that 1 have 

 not a good word to sav f,,y American dogs or dog shows. 

 This is not the case, T rue it is tuat. 1 make bo overtures to 

 the Westminster Kennel Club or Ruybodj else, Whitewash 1 

 object to adn 



- foj 



The 



at- 



tendant upon the tii 



ease, vanished. I believe, before a dog show Was hell in ihi, 



country. Mv object is to improve our dogs and dog shows. 



I cull a spade a spade, because I know it to be a spade; and 

 what I now write, I write because I know from practical ex- 

 perfenci ituroorr Chare u erind. America will 



finally be mv home. Why then, should 1 belittle her doe... or 

 anythi'j'. : ... '- .' - ', ■■' -omiic.-d up There is no better 



place than Madison Garden :< t 1 dogshow. The management 

 of the Westminster Kennel Club shows in Mr. Lincoln's hands 

 is perfection. I have attended all the besl ahows in England' 



and during my experience ha 1 - not seen a better manager 



than Mr. Lincoln. At one tin," I thought that Mr. Douglass 

 could not be ,•>.■■■ lie, |. but 1 have an idea that hi Mr. Lincoln 



jidd 1 



apt 



Mr. Co 



ing dogs. 



for his b, 



bloodhoi 



1 that grt 



ads. deerho 



am glad he i, not su 

 that his club has net 

 nell is apparently n 

 when he said that 1 



S he 



Mr 



do 



as I do. Nothing dot B 



a talk about dogs wit! 



them, but who in reality t 



.niels. Su: 



nd that he cannot name two good 



n the lulled Stares. Ml 



Wjedge of point rs to ■; - bl :- i 

 ithe.r am I, for it is a matter of fact 

 larealh good-look iug dog. Mr. Cor- 

 re that Mr. Dalziel was chatting him 

 no idea that the dogs in America 



,-eia llv the spoi ting classes. 



;.-iblv know 'Mr. Dalziel so well 

 rifleman enjoy more than 



those professing to understand 

 retaking their first lessons, He is 



i Jly good, and I 

 wrote 01 tliem 111 l>-i as louows: "cncli-'li -etter- are a grand 

 lot and if intelligeiit.lv bred from. England must look to tier 

 laurels; I find the bit, dies as a whole better looking than the 

 dogs." The misfortune is that the best dogs don't win the 

 prizes as a rule, and that many breeders don't go to work the 

 right way to improve the stock placed at their disposal. 

 Gordon setter.- aio a verj bud lot, but the Irishmen are a 

 splendid class, and beat us all ends up mot. however, if Biz 

 is the best of them). We have not so good a dog us Chief or 

 I llFiieho. or bitches equal to Norecn aud Laih Clare. 



There are many good-looii in:, - h ■>-. but few are 



ever produced equal to the impol ted stock, and this fact sup- 

 port- nv: in What I stated before 1 had been here many 

 months, thai good pointers cannot he produced Unless people 

 go to work vei-y differently to what they are doing. No 

 Judgment Beems'to be used, and birches are bred from at ran- 

 doia to the most nii.-Mii.-atili sires. There is DO 

 and yet America can be, , . bred Beaufort, who is, in 



mv opinion, the best pointer living that 1 have seen. I now 

 hear that this dog was I, red picci-cb. as I nib. i-ed pointer men 

 to use Bow. Put him 10 " - a the small 



side, ainlyoii will have some p..inb-is. Nothing can be better 

 bred than bow, aud for small--,.-: d bit, I : - doge 



ought to be Beaufort and Pause There is some capital ma- 

 terial to s.'l' et If oiu for big bitches— Donald, Dang ipoyueer's), 

 La Guy and Slenfortl. These an- arc well bred, and if eare- 

 i. i elected will improve the appearance of pointers in this 

 country tvuich to me appear to be gi - 01 -c looking in- 

 i. 1 better I may Lave much good to say for Bang-Bang 

 after gi\ ing luui a careful look over. 1 OS \ •• nor vet seen the 

 ,,.. ii- tin i ding is of a Wgb coder, and of his appearance I 

 will speak later. 



Irish water spaniels are getting ahead of us, and are, I 

 think, belter a little than ours. When my grand dog Patsy 

 died, and his not much less diaiinguished brother Barney came 

 to this eountri , we lost sight of our best-looking dogs. All 

 other spaniel classes are considerably behind us. 



Gri evhonuds,, dcerhouud-. foxhounds, and all other sporting 

 dee- ari , !uclU y years behind Pox-terriers arc improving, 

 thank- to 'I, ■' M'.'-sis, Kutheriurd. Mastiffs, St. Bernard-. 

 Newfouudlauiis, bulldogs, bull-terriers, and all other non- 



sportin- Q be mentioned m i he same week with 



n tlu,-.Uud, There is, therefore, much to be 

 done; much that cannot be done by bragging, but which may- 

 be overcome by p 



Dbg shows aro not in a. satisfactory predu- 



- :,]i,e i a,- to any old exhibitor. Pirst one typeaCoog 



and then s1 up as », beau ideal The very men 



that lauded Thunder m to the sides, ■" rw swear by Dido II. ; 



neither is the Correct thing. One has been found sadly want- 



lound 



Gqiiallv dehcicrj ' do, what can the 



It believes mose who linve "had experience to speak out 

 plainly without f to of being hounded down bv au interested 

 minority, sheltered behind tt no,,, ,'rjjlnmr. Right must pre- 



