FOREST AND STREAM 



181 



%$ Mmnel. 



— The Long Island Poultry Association will hold a Bench 

 Show of Dogs in connection with their annual exhibition, 

 which commences on November 30th, and will last until 

 December 4th. This show will be held in the city of Brook- 

 lyn, and from its proximity and accessibility it should be 

 one of the largest ever held in the country. The premium 

 list will be on a very liberal scale. It is now in press, 

 and can be had by addressing the Secretary of the associa- 

 tion, Mr. Thomas Smith, at Stony Brook, Long Island. 

 The display of pigeons and other birds, poultry, etc., will 



also be very fine. 



— — « ««»■ 



Colley Field Trials. — Bather a novel but exceedingly 

 practical system of proving the capabilities of dogs used 

 in sheep herding has been instituted in Great Britain, 

 coupled with a distribution of prizes, which is likely to 

 have the same effect in improving the qualities of these 

 excellent assistants to the herdsman as bench shows and 

 field trials have had in developing the different strains of 

 •dogs used for sporting purposes alone. A series of these 

 colley trials was recently held in Glamorganshire, on the 

 side of the Craig-av-leyshon Mountain, where a vast amphi- 

 theatre, with a sheep quarry in the centre, afforded an ex- 

 cellent ground for the purpose. The sheep were liberated 

 in trios, and it was the duty of the dog, after a certain time 

 had elapsed, to pen them again . In the first trial a thirteen 

 .months old puppy succeeded in penning his sheep neatly 

 fin seven minutes, but this performance, good as it was, 

 was subsequently surpassed by Mr. Jones' blue clog March, 

 and Mr. Meyrick's Prince, who were placed first and sec- 

 ond. The other trials were for all aged dogs. In all there 

 were seventy-two entries, and prizes ranging as high as 

 twenty pounds sterling each. We are inclined to think 

 that the value of the colley dogs is underrated in this coun- 

 try. Our farmers, particularly those who raise sheep would 

 ifind them invaluable, and their faithfulness is beyond praise. 

 «»»»» , 



Another Importation. — Capt. John M. Taylor writes 

 ?us from Belle Fonte, Va., under date of October 22d, as 

 follows: — 



"Mr. Raymond informs me by this mail that a present of 

 a pointer bitch pup arrived safely in fine condition per 

 steamer Idaho from the Rev. Gumming Macdona as an ad- 

 dition to my kennel. Mr. Macdona wishes me to mate her 

 with a first-class native pointer dog, and send him one of the 

 progeny, so that he may judge of the cross on color, slyle, 

 and beauty. I claim the name of Dona for this bitch, and 

 think Squire Smith's Major of the Stockton breed would 

 make a good cross. Mr. Raymond says "she is little, but 

 a more perfectly- formed pointer puppy I never saw; liver 

 and white in color, strong, well, sprightly, and particu- 

 larly handsome. I regard her as a most promising dog." 

 As many inquiries about the expenses of importing dogs 

 from England have been made in your journal I give the 

 following for the benefit of future importers: — Freight, 

 £3©$5.65, $16.95; Purser, $5.05; butcher, $3; total, $25. 

 This only $1.55 more than the cheapest figure at which I 

 have known dogs imported, and the fine condition of the 

 puppy justified, I thought, concession of the addition." 

 . ^ « »» 



A VISIT TO "IDSTONE." 



■ ♦ 



London, Eng., October 1st, 1875. 

 Bditob Fohbst -Ind Stkeam:— 



Blandford, one of England's prettiest Tillages, is situated on the river 

 Stour, in Dorset, and is famed for being the center of an immense agri. 

 cultural district. We found ourselves in this place one bright day to- 

 wards the last of September, on a visfc to Morden Vicarage, to see the 

 kennel of "Idstone." East Morden, where this worthy author and 

 breeder of setters and retrievers resides, is nine miles from Blandford, 

 and the drive there is beautiful; but as your readers will not care to hear 

 a description of It, I will not weary them, and only mention passing a 

 beautiful park, in which were herds of deer,buff alo (not American bison) 

 Australian ostrichs, and kangaroo, the latter, when started from his 

 hiding-place, going with great bounds, making an American thiuk he has 

 started the biggest kind of a jackass rabbit. 



On our arrival at the vicarage we learned to our regret that the author 

 of "Idstone on the Dog" was away from home, and therefore am unable 

 to give the pedigree or age, with one or two exceptions, of the dogs 

 shown. Many of the youug dogs and some of the old ones were in the 

 hands of breakers, and of course we missed them. The first shown us 

 was 



Ruby— black and white bitch, very good looking, her coat and feath- 

 ering all that could be desired; well made body, but her nose, to our fancy 

 was altogether too sharp. She is almost a fac simile, though smaller, of 

 Mr. Waddell's Polly, is thoroughly broken, and a nerfect retriever on 

 feather or fur. 



The next was a black dog with white hairs through his coat, by Sham- 

 rock (the famous Irish setter) out of the above mentioned Ruby. 



The next was a brace of red Irish pups, dog and bitch, seven or eight 

 months old, large for their age. The dog red with a faint star on his 

 breast; the bitch had a white "heart." Both were remarkably fine in 

 looks and color, but the dog was too leggy. ' 



The next was Shot, a one-eyed dog. He is a fine specimen of the red 

 Irish, and is darker in color than "Ajax 1 "' celebrated Dash; but his color 

 is not so even, fading off on his legs to too light a shade. He is larger 

 than Dash, but his shape, movements and general appearance are enough 

 like that dog's to make one almost think they were brothers. A small 

 white spot on his breast was all the white he showed. 



With him was a red Irish bitch called Kathleen. She has a white spot 

 on her nose, white feet and frill. She is the dam of a pnp (hat "Idstone" 

 has just sent to ' Ajax," and although her color is not as dark as that of 

 her companion, it is even, and we have yet to see a dog of that strain 

 that can please us more. 



Kate, a black and tan Gordon, with white feet and frill, was the next 

 shown. She is too small to meet our ideas of a dog of that blood, but is 

 very handsome, and her tail markings are of that deep burnt umber color 

 that would be hard to beat. All these dogs have black noses and eyes. 

 Two black retrievers, one smooth and the other wavy coated, the latter 

 pleasing us the most, finished our inspection of the sporting dogs. 



We saw a couple of handsome fox terriers, one with black marks and 

 tan spots on head is the prettiest dog of that kind we have ever seen. 



A beautiful Scotch terrier finished the lot. We must not forget to 

 mention that we saw in the stable a pair of moor ponies, one a brown, 

 the other a gray, that we were informed could take their master to 

 Blandford and back, a distance of eighteen miles, inside ©f two hours. 



After a glass of prime old cider, and pitting the Scotch terrier, we said 

 good by to Morden Vicarage, greatly regretting we had not jormed the 

 acquaintance of it* worthy ©wner, Vo-toses, 



Brittany Pointers. — It may be a natural, and is de- 

 cidedly a patriotic feeling, to believe that no nation in the 

 world understands the breeding and management of dogs 

 so well as we do. 



Hounds, and their various breed, 

 And no less various use. 



Yet the poor, uneducated peasant of Lower Brittany, the 

 braconnier who gets his livelihood by the chase, shooting 

 seven days in every week, and shooting partout, breaks a 

 pointer for his own use immeasurably superior in many 

 respects to the highly, trained dogs so often met with in our 

 turnip fields and grouse moors. The former will break 

 fence, it is true, and will foot a hare like a very hound; 

 but this he has been taught and encouraged to do — it is a 

 qualification essential to the bag. On the other hand, he 

 will, as has already been stated, face the thorniest brake, 

 never rake in drawing for his birds, and, above all, will re- 

 trieve his wounded game by land or water perfectly. 

 Without these accomplishments, especially the first and 

 last, he would be valueless to the braconnier in that land. 

 However, suum cuique is doubtless the fair conclusion; 

 certain it is that the thiiirskinned, highly bred and highly 

 broken English pointer is found to be utterly useless m 

 Lower Brittany; while probably the coarser bred dog of 

 that country would be unequal to the quick stubble work 

 and fine style required in this. 



There is a sad disfigurement practiced on Brittany 

 pointers, which, considering the gorsy nature of the cov- 

 ers they draw, has doubtless its advantages, but, on the 

 other hand, it detracts largely from the good looks, and 

 even the dignity of the dog in action; the tail, that indica- 

 tor of all a dog's thoughts, that silent tongue that explains 

 all he means, is chopped off in puppyhood, and a mere 

 stump is left, scarcely longer than that of a Salisbury 

 sheep dog. Shame on the braconnier for his utter disre- 

 gard of ihe pointer's beauty and graceful movement! Bet- 

 ter might he have rounded his ears, as we do those of the 

 fox hound, than mutilate the tail in such barbarous fash- 

 ion. The former operation would be far more serviceable, 

 and at the same time less disfiguring to the appearance of 

 the dog. What a sorry object a stump-tailed pointer would 

 cut side by side with those grand animals exhibited in that 

 class at our National Dog Shows ! And yet, over and 

 through the rough cover-land of Brittany, the latter, as I 

 have abundantly tested, will bear no comparison with his 

 coarser congener. He is worth a parish pound full of- the 

 other for the scrub work required of a pointer in that 

 country. — Wild Sports in Brittany. 



-♦♦♦- 



Kennel Produce.— Bonnet Carre, a very beautiful red setter, bred by 

 Mr. C. H. Kaymond, and owned by Hon. Granville P. Howes, of this 

 city, dropped four strong whelps to Pride of the Border on the 7th Inst. 

 One gyp, dark red, after the dam, and three deep chestnut and white 

 dogs after the sire. Bonnet Carre is herself very finely bred, being by 

 Mr. Raymond's Dick, out of his Dimity. 



Kittt, by Plunkett, owned by F. H. Bierbower, of Maysville, Ky., 

 whelped on the 9th inst. Seven of the puppies— four dogs and three 

 gyps- -are living and doing well, all being large, strong, and very lively. 

 They were also sired by Plunkett, whom they much resemble. 



Gtp— A beautiful, and very superior young setter bitch, owned by 

 Horace Smith, our Field and Kennel Editor, recently gave birth, at Per- 

 rineville, Monmouth county, N. J., to eight fine healthy whelps, by the 

 famous one-eyed Sancho, the property of Forman Taylor, Esq., or Mon- 

 mouth county, N. J. Gyp is a full" sister to Queen, lately sold by Mr. 

 Theodore Morford, of Newton, N. J., to J. J. Sei winger, Esq., of 

 Philadelphia, at a very high figure. The pedigree of both Queen and 

 Sancho were published in our columns a few months ago. From each a 

 strain of setters we expect something altogether extra. 



\m und Miver 



FISH IN SEASON IN OCTOBER. 



Black Bass, micropterus salmoides, micropterus nigricans. 

 Striped Bass Boccus lineatus. Bluefish, temnodon soltator. 



6 . 



{Under the head of "Game and Fiih in Season" we can only syecify in 

 general terms the several varieties, because the laws of States vary so much 

 that were we to attemot to particularize we could do no less than publish 

 those entire sections that relate to the kinds of game in question. This 

 would require a great amount of our space. In designating game we are 

 guided by the laws of nature, upon which all legislation is founded, and 

 our readers would do well to provide themselves with the laws of their re- 

 spsctive States for constant .eference. Otherwise, our attempts to assis 

 them will only create confusion.] 



Fish in Market.— The supply of fish during the past 

 week has been quite equal to the demand and our quata- 

 tions show no material change, either in prices or the 

 sources from whence the supply is received. Prices are as 

 follows:— striped bass, 16 cents for large and 20 cents for 

 small fish; smelts, green, from Maine, 25 cents, (we hear 

 of quantities being caught in the neighborhood of Boston 

 but suppose they are comsumed in the home market); blue- 

 fish are worth from 12£ to 15 cents as the fish run from 

 large to small; salmon, frozen, 50 cents. Mackerel are of 

 various size, some very small sell for 5 cents each, while 

 the largest bring 20 cents; weakfish, 15 cents; white perch, 

 18 cents; Spanish mackerel, frozen, 50 cents; frost fish, or 

 tom-cods, 8 cents; halibut, 20 cents; haddock, 8 cents; 

 kingfish, 25 cents; codfish, 8 to 10 cents; blackfish, 12 to 

 18 cents; flounders, 8 to 12 cents; porgies, 15 cents; sea 

 bass, 20 cents; eels, 18 cents; sheepshead, 25 cents; white- 

 fish, 16 cents; pickerel, 20 cents; salmon trout, 18 cents; 

 hard crabs, 30 cents, per dozen; lobsters, 10 cents per 

 pound; green turtle, 20 cents; terrapin, $12. per dozen; 

 scollops, principally from Long Island, $1.25 per gallon; 

 pompano, $1. per pound; frog legs, 50 cents per pound. 



Fishing for Striped Bass in Hell Gate.— There is 

 something about this Hell Gate fishing which, in the 

 mode pursued, the bait used, and the fish themselves, 

 differs from any other kind of fishing, and when once suc- 

 cessfully attempted becomes most fascinating. The impa- 

 tient fisherman, however — he who expects a bite as often 

 as his hook touches the water — had better stay at home; in 

 no fishing, probably, is patience so much required; in none 

 more satisfactorily rewarded. Time was, years ago, before 

 the myriads of tugs which now dash hither and thither 

 like gigantic water beetles were thought of; before two op- 

 position lines of steamers ran to Harlem and made' both 

 day and night hideous with their screeching whistles; be- 

 fore the nitrp-glycerme with which the river bed is now so 



rudelv disturbed, had been discovered, that the rapids of 

 Hell Gate, the whirlpools and eddies, were the favorite re- 

 sort of the striped bass. Not the little fellows that run in 

 schools, but the huge bass from the sea— such fish as are 

 caught off Cuttyhunk and Newport Rocks. Then it was 

 not uncommon for a man to catch several of these mon- 

 sters of a night, weighing perhaps from thirty to fifty 

 pounds. Now one of much less size is a satisfactory catch. 

 Strange to say, the fish seem to take the bait, when the 

 tide is suitable, better at night. Perhaps it is because the 

 bait used, the squid or cuttle fish, a veritable octopus, 

 younger brother of the huge cephalopod, so vividly de- 

 scribed by Victor Hugo in "Toilers of the Sea," throws 

 out a phosphorescent light which allures the prey. The 

 mode of fishing is by trolling, the rower, when alone, fas- 

 tening the line around his leg with a knot which can be 

 cast off in an instant, and the boat being kept by a gentle 

 exertion head to the tide, the current carries the bait astern 

 to any particular eddy the fisherman may desire. The 

 pleasantest way,- however, is to be under the guidance of a 

 good boatman and occupy a seat placed across the stern of 

 the boat, with a good bass rod and reel with four or five 

 hundred feet of line. The squid are caught up the Sound 

 by fishermen in their nets. A strong snell attached to the 

 hook is passed through them by means of a needle, allow- 

 ing the point and barb to remain among the legs, while the 

 long tentacles armed with their rows of suckers trail out 

 behind, and the glassy eyes stare with a cold and clammy 

 look. The line floats far astern, the bait being weighted 

 sufficiently to keep it below the surface. A bass when he 

 strikes generally swims across the current, and the rod 

 fisherman has his hands full with one of twenty pounds. 

 When the fish is somewhat exhausted the boat is frequently 

 rowed to one of the coves of Ward's Island, where the fish- 

 erman can step on shore and finish the battle at his leisure. 

 The largest fish taken this season weighed from fifteen to 

 twenty pounds, but before the season closes some much 

 larger ones will probably be caught. A few evenings since, 

 in company with Mr. Edgerton Browne, of Ninety-second 

 street and East River, who has squid and all appliances for 

 this fishing, and whose information can be relied on, we 

 tried the Gate fishing. But one fish rewarded our efforts, 

 but the surroundings as night came on and the two cities 

 were illuminated were most enjoyable. Far below us the 

 rock drills were at work preparing for the great centennial 

 blast on the 4th of next July. A steady stream of water 

 pumped from the mines flowed over the parapet of Gen. 

 Newton's bulkhead, and the puff of white steam from the 

 high pressure engine rose unceasingly in the air. As the 

 tide fell and the rocks on the Hog's Back and other reefs 

 came nearer to the surface, the water danced in wilder ed- 

 dies, and the whirlpools twisted and bubbled, almost turn- 

 ing the boat in spite of the strong arms at the oar, and as 

 we reeled in our line for the last time where the strong tide 

 rips were dashing wildly against the sides of the boat, the 

 glassy- eyed octopus seemed a most appropriate bait for 

 such hellish waters. 



Massachusetts Anglers' Association. — A regular 

 meeting of the society was held Wednesday evening, Octo- 

 ber 20th, at their rooms in Boston, Yice President Charles 

 Stan wood, in the absence of the President, presiding. Six- 

 teen names were added to the roll of membership. Ad- 

 dresses were made by several members, notably by L. 

 Prouty, Esq., who favored the meeting with a very inter- 

 esting epitome of his experience and observation during 

 his recent three weeks' trip, accompanied by Commodore 

 J. N. Roberts, to the Lake Rosegnol district in Nova Scotia 

 in search of fish, game, rest and recreation, and for which 

 a vote of thanks was tendered. 



—We learn that Mr. Hiram L. Leonard, of Bangor, Me-, 

 the originator of the six-splice split bamboo fishing rod, has 

 recently made a valuable improvement in the construction 

 of the rod, which will add greatly to its durability. The 

 improvement relates particularly to the ferules uniting the 

 parts, and has been secured by letters patent. 



Our Fishing Fleet.— There have been 74 arrivals the 

 past week, as follows:— 23 from Georges, 42 from off shore 

 mackereling, 8 from the Banks, 1 from the Bay. The re- 

 ceipts are 240,000 pounds of Georges cod, 98,000 pounds 

 Georges halibut, 555,000 pounds Bank cod, 60.000 pounds 

 Bank halihut, 2,095 barrels shore mackerel, 170 barrels Bay 

 mackerel. — Gape Ann Advertiser, Oct. 22. 



! ?***» 



Failure op the Last Salmon Shipment from Eng- 

 land. — An attempt has been made to convey salmon and 

 trout fry from England to Victoria by the Peninsular and 

 Oriental Company's steamers carrying the Indian and Aus- 

 tralian mails. The result has been— what most persons 

 predicted would be-the case— failure. At the last meeting 

 of the Melbourne Zoological and Acclimatisation Society, 

 Mr. Geo. Teals, who conducted the experiment, gave some 

 little information with reference to the attempt. He stated 

 the fish were in high condition when placed on board the 

 steamer for the outward voyage, and that his apparatus 

 worked well. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's of- 

 ficers on board the steamer afforded every facility for the 

 safe transport of the fish, and furnished plentiful supplies 

 of iced water from time to time. , All went well with the 

 experiment until Suez was passed and the Red Sea reached. 

 Then mortality commenced, and the death rate showed an 

 alarming increase each day. From the fifteenth to the 

 eighteenth day the loss became terrible, and the twentieth 

 day out saw the whole of the fish dead, and the apparatus 

 laid on one side. Mr. Teale is of opinion the Suez route 

 with its forty-two days from home, cannot under any cir- 

 cumstances be made available for the transport of live sal- 

 monidas, whatever might be the case with ova well disposed 

 of in ice. — Field, 



