Sbftember 2, 1880.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



91 



Rule 7. Pointing hares, " stink birds," larks, turtles, 

 bittern, or any bird generally considered game, shall not 

 be deemed false points. A dog making a false point, and 

 discovering it to be such, without any encouragement 

 from his handler, shall not be penalize*!, 



tNSTEUCTIONS TO .lUDGES. 



Pointing. — Tlie judges will allow only those dogs the 

 maximum that point all the birds possible for them to 

 point under existing ciicumstancea ; a dog to earn the 

 maximum number of points under this head must dis- 

 play a iirst-class nose and exhibit great judgment in 

 finding and pointing his birds, and make no flushes that 

 a dog with the above qualities would avoid in ordinary 

 hunting. TVie dogs are to be hunted in all respects as in 

 an ordinary day's shooting, in a sportsman-like manner. 

 Inexcusable or wilful flushes will detract from a dog's 

 score under this head, but the character of the flush must 

 be always taken into account in estimating the penalty, if 

 any. The judges must not ask the handlers if their dogs 

 are pointing, but must decide for themselves. They 

 shall always consider the nature of the ground, the wind 

 and the birds, and not penalize a dog for flushing a bird 

 it would be imposBible to point. The penalty for flushes 

 to be graded by the character of the offense. The judges 

 .shaU not require the handlers to work their dogs down 

 wind. 



I^ir.e. — The dog that maintains tlie fastest gait through- 

 out the trial, except when in cover or on game, to receive 

 the full number of points, aU others to be graded by 

 him. 



BacJcing.—'Ihe maximum only allowed such dogs as 

 stand or drop instantly at sight of another dog pointing, 

 But no dog shall be expected to back unless the dog point- 

 ing stands and is motionless. A dog shall not be said to 

 refuse to back unless he sees ihe dog pointing. To get 

 credit for a back, the dog must stop at least ten vards 

 (when practicable) in front of the handler. Should a 

 dog refuse to back, and, instead, go ahead, or alongside 

 of the pointing dog, and steal a point, the same shall not 

 again be allowed to come nearer his pointing competitor 

 than twenty yjft-ds, and be kept charged while the birds 

 are being flushed over the pointing dog. 



Style. — ^The judges shall consider the dog's grace in 

 ranging and drawing, and attitudes in pointmg and 

 backing. 



Stancliness. — The maximum - allowed such dogs only 

 as do not advance from their point when they are on 

 game until ordered on. 



Ranging awl Qicartering. — The maximum only allowed 

 the dogs that maintain the most kUling range through- 

 out, viz. : wide or close, as the necessity of the case may 

 require, and who cover their ground systematically ex- 

 cepting where the nature of the ground renders such 

 work impracticable. 



Obedience and Disposition. — The maximum only al- 

 lowed to a dog that works promptly to the gim without 

 noise or severity, and is obedient, prompt, cheerful and 

 easily handled. 



Retrieving. — To receive the maximum under this head, 

 a dog shall go promptlj' and cheerfully i'or tlie bird, find 

 the same, and deliver it to the handler without mouthing 

 or mutilation. The handler sliall not assist the dog in 

 finding the dead bird by leading the same toward it, ex- 

 cepting Tvhere circumstances are such that the dog can- 

 not reasonalily be expected to find the bird, or not with- 

 out mu""h loss of time. 



False Pointing.— Tlw judges shall give a dog ample op- 

 portunity to discover whether or not he is on a true 

 point, and the penallry shall range from 1 to 7 for his acts 

 throughout the heat. 



Breaking in is when a dog through imperfect breaking 

 or from excitement, leaves his position when the bircls 

 rise, whether the gun is fired or not. and starts to break 

 shot or chase, but stops within a tew feel rnjiii the point 

 from which be started, of his accurd or by eoraiiiaiid. 



Breaking shot is whyn a dou runs iu when a shot is 

 fired, with the intention of geuing the bird. 



Chasing is when a dog follows the birds, either when 

 the gun is fired or not, to an extent to be beyond the con- 

 trol of the handler for the time being. 



Flippy Stakes.— S,\}1& -. Dogs over eigiiteen months old 

 shall not be eligible for the Puppy Stakes. Rule as 

 above. 



Brace Stakes. — ^The rules governing the Brace Stakes 

 shall be the same as those used in the AU-Aged Stakes, 

 with the following exceptions : The maximutn for rang- 

 ing and quartering shall be 20 instead of 10, and the total 

 one hundred and ten instead of one hundred. The brace 

 to earn the maximum for quartering must cross each 

 other systematically, and work independent of each other, 

 or one dog must quarter the ground on one side of the 

 handler while the other dog quarters the opposite side, the 

 dogs meeting at or near the center. Each brace will be 

 run separately, instead of nintring in heats, and be judged 

 by the scale of points as laid down and explained. 



NurseJ'y Stakes. — Rule : Dogs over twelve months old 

 sliall not be eligible for Nursery Stakes, There will be 

 no points allowed for retrieving in this stake. Rules 

 otherwise as above. 



THE riELD TRIAL RULES DISCUSSED. 



New Tork, Ang. 30th. 

 Editor Forest and Stream :— 



The rules which are to govern N. A. K. C. Field Trials, 

 which have appeared in the Forest and Stream, and 

 those of the Eastern Field Tri,")l Club, just issued, call for 

 some notice and even criticism on the part of those who. 

 whether aa competitors in the trials, or merely as prac- 

 tical sportsmen and owners or breeders of dogs, are inter- 

 ested in the improvement of the field dogs of America. 

 No one can take part in, or even witness, such contests 

 as the field trials to be nm next fall without feeling a 

 deep interest in their success ; for it is acknnwlefiged 

 by aU practical shooting men, that such trials contribute 

 more to raise the standard of excellence of om- setters 

 and pointers than anything else can. Bench shows are, 

 of course, very well in their way, and a prize winner is a 

 beautiful object to the eye, but many a dog that has 

 taken a blue ribbon would not he worth, to the sports- 

 man, the chai-ge of powder and lead that would blow out 

 his brains, while some animal at which the judges 

 disdain to cast a second glance, may do his work in the 

 field, day after day, in a stylo that would satisfy the most 

 exacting lover of the gun. For myself, while! yield to 



no one in my admiration of a beautiful animal, as near 

 the type of " his kind as may be. I would rather do my 

 shooting over a pig, if it was well broken, fast and had a 

 good nose, th.in be obliged to use some of the dogs that 

 have stood first in the ring. And this, I tliink, is the feel- 

 ing of many, if not most, of my brother sportsmen in this 

 country. They want tlie dogVhicli will find the most 

 birds, point tlieni the most staiiclily. retrieve them with 

 most certainty, and be able to do this at least three or 

 four days in "the week— throughout the season, if neces- 

 saiy. If what I have assumed is true, the very general 

 interest in field trials is explained, and I think that I 

 hazard nothing in predicting that the accounts of those 

 to be run in the autumn will be nioie eagerly read bv 

 shooting men than any previous canine roin petitions that 

 have been field in the United States. Tlie importance of 

 having the rules to go\'ern the trials, and the directions 

 to judges clear and concise, is self-evident. They should 

 be brief, simple and couched in language that can by no 

 po.ssibilityTie misinterpreted or twisted from its legiti- 

 mate meaning. In contests of tiiis kind there is too often 

 manifested a, dlspositii.in to find fault with the decision of 

 the judges and even to wrangle : but by making the rules 

 immistakeably clear, and by choosing'as judges men of 

 undoubted reputation, there is no rea.son why the coming 

 triak should not pass off without any of those unfortunate 

 misunderstandings, to use no harsher term, which have 

 disgi-aced such meetings of sportsmen in tlie past. Wliile 

 not professing any very profound knowledge on the sub- 

 ject of dog breaking, I am accustomed to work ray own 

 dogs in tire style that suits me, and I therefore venture 

 to offer my views on the rules for field trials, as laid 

 down by the two clubs already mentioned. It seems to 

 me, in the first place, th.at several of the rules in the 

 circulars referred to are lamentably obscure, and some 

 of them, to my mind at least, convey no meaning what- 

 ever. On the whole, the rides of" the Eastern Field 

 Trials Club are the most intelligible; but even these might 

 be improved upon. The last clause of Rule 8. in the N . 

 A. K. C. circular, is extremely indefinite and blind, 

 though its probable meaning may be made out by careful 

 reading. Rule 3, of the E. F. T." Club is perfectly clear. 

 Rule i is in both cases unmistakable in its meaning and 

 needs no comment, but I cannot help thinking that the 

 scale of points by which the dogs are to be judged is in 

 some respects not what it should be. The highest credit 

 that any dog can get for " pointing,'" is 35 ; "pointing" 

 as here "defined, including nose and judgment. Style has 

 a separate mark, and so has stanehness, so that neither 

 of these is taken into accotmt. Yet a point withont 

 stanehness is scarcely worth speaking of, and surely 

 style is as important on the point as it is when the ani"- 

 mal is ranging. The term " pointing," it seems to me, is 

 unsatisfactory, and I shall endeavor below to suggest 

 a more appropriate one. Pace, in the Rules of the N. A. 

 K. C, is rated at 20, and in those of the E. F, T. C, at 1.5. 

 The latter, I think, is the proper figure. Nothing is more 

 wearying and annoj'ing than to follow a potterer, and 

 •'pace" is certainly one of the most important at- 

 tributes of a good field dog. Backing is rated at 7 in one 

 set of rules, and S in the other ; too high in both. To 

 a well bred dog it is as natural to back as it is to point, and 

 I have seen, as no doubt have many others, yoimg pup- 

 pies, that had never seen a bird, back as stanchly as the 

 best broken dog. The pupjiy has inherited his disposition 

 to back from his well broken ancestors, and, besides this, 

 his attention is fixed and his curiosity aroused by the 

 stopping of his companion and the rigid attitude which 

 the latter has assumed. The breaker merely cultivates 

 and fosters this inherited tendency to stop at the sight of 

 a pointing companion ; and to teach a dog to back — a well 

 bred dog, be it understood— is one of the easiest of the 

 handler's tasks. For style the marks are and 7. As I 

 have already indicated, style in pointmg is quite as im- 

 portant as style in ranging, and if, as seems probable, the 

 style referred to is only style in ranging, it should be ex- 

 plicitly stated that this i's the ease, "l am disposed to 

 think that if in style pLiiiitiug and ranging .ire included, 

 the marks ass igneil lo it in the rules are not far from the 

 proper number. Stanehness, 6 and S, 1 know of but 

 one attribute of a field dog that is more important than 

 stanehness. No matter how many goud qualities your 

 dog may have, if he is not stanch he is not worth his 

 salt. Many a man hunts o\er a dog that does not pre- 

 tend to mind, that goes about hunting in his own way, 

 has no style, potters, very likely, perhaps even does not 

 retrieve, but when he finds the bird he stays there imtil 

 the gun comes up. He wUl never flush, will never leave 

 liis point unless dragged away by main strength. 'The 

 owner of such a dog thinks he has a treasure— and he is 

 right in so t hink ing. He may lose some birds because 

 his dog does not retrieve, but not nearly so many as he 

 would if the animal was unsteady. Stanehness I con- 

 sider of the very highest importance, and I would make 

 it much higher than is here done. In the N. A. K, C. 

 Rules, ranging is marked 6, and quartering 1, and in the 

 E. F, T. C. Rules, rangiug and quartering together 10. 

 The^e marks are not far from the proper percentage, 

 though U! view of the great importance of other qualifi- 

 cations, they are perhaps somewhat too high. Obedience 

 and disposition are rated at 4 and 7, the latter being about 

 the proper figure. Retrieving, which is of great import- 

 ance, is rightly rated at 10. Rule 6 is admirably worded 

 and will no doubt be strictly enforced. With "regard to 

 he " points of demerit " I have only one criticism to 

 make. Chasing is so serious a fault that it should dis- 

 qualify the dog the first, not tlie second time that it oc- 

 curs. An animal that is not under suthcient command to 

 come in, or drop, when ordered, sliould not be entered 

 ui Che trials. There should be also, I thmk, a penalty 

 of not less than 6 for ivilfu! flushing. Simple flusliing 

 from excitement or heedlessness should be punished by 

 loss of marks in pointmg." In the instructions to judges 

 there is nothing which calls for any thing hut piaise, until 

 we come to backing. Here we meet with a clause badly 

 worded. The instructions in both circulars say : "To get 

 credit for a baci<, the dog must stop at least ten yards 

 (when practicable) in front of the handler." This rule is 

 intended, we presume, to prevent the person working the 

 animal from ordering the latter to stand, but this seems 

 unnecessary, for the presence of the judges would re- 

 strain the handler from speaking to his dog, and if their 

 presence does not, ihe distance of thirty feet would not 

 prevent his giving the neeessai'y command. There is 

 here a looseness of phraseology which, I think, offers an 

 opportunity for a qmbble. 

 Stanehness is not clear. The dog may come to a point I 



on birds, but if they run itisclearly his business to break 

 his point and follow them, whether he is ordered on or not. 



Ranging and quartering in the B. F. T. instructions 

 are clear enough, but the definitions are too general. In 

 tjlf N. A. K. C. _ instructions, however, I am unable to 

 understand what the definition of quartering intends to 

 convey. What does working -'at right angle to the 

 handler" mean? Does it mean at right angle to the 

 course the handler is pm-suing? I presume so. If it 

 does not mean tliat it means notbinLr as far as I can dis- 

 cover. In practice a dog scarcely ever works at right 

 angle to the course of the slioorer, but usually at an 

 angle of about 45" wdth it. His couree is that of "a smart 

 sailuig \essel tacking against a head wind. 



And now a word about the scale of points for judging, 

 and I am done. I have already stated that, in my opm- 

 ion, the marks for the different atrribnttes of a good dog 

 are not divided as they should be in view nf the relative 

 importance of the various acts to lie performed. No,=e 

 is certainly the most important qualification that a dog 

 can have. You can, by care and patience, teach him al- 

 most anything, but yon can never teach him to have a 

 good nose ; he nuist be horn with that. Without nose 

 he is, of course, utterly valuolpss for himting purposes. 

 With nose he can, wub sufficient traming.be made of 

 .some use. Nose an.l judgment, or intelligence, usually 

 go together, thougli judgment is, after all. only anotlier 

 term for tlie experience which can only be acquired in 

 (he field. This combination of qualities corresponds 

 inore .n less closely with what is called " pointing." but 

 it seems lo me that timtiiig would be a more fitting term 

 by which (o designate it. Finding, then, should rank 

 the highest in the scale of points, and should not be 

 marked less than 30 After finding comes staneh- 

 ness, which, as I have already- tried to show, should have 

 a high mark, say 1.8. Pace comes next, and this I 

 would rate at LI. Reti-ieving is only less important 

 than pace, and saves the weary shooter many steps and 

 many birds. I would jilace it at 10. This is a point that 

 requires to be carefully watched by the judges, for al- 

 though most dogs retrieve, the percentace' of Miose who 

 do it properly, i. e., with a tender mouth, retuminif the 

 bird to the hand cheerfully, is very small. Style is a re- 

 finement, a luxury rather than a necessity, yet its pres- 

 ence in a dog adds so much to the pleasure cif the shooter 

 that I would place it next in order with 8 marks. 

 Then should follow ranging and quartering 7, and obe- 

 dience and disposition 7 : and, last of aU, backing 5. 



In the points of demerit, false pointing and breaking 

 in are venial offenses : breiiking shot is more serious, and 

 should receive from ."i to 10 marks, according to the 

 character of the offense, while real hona /!>?«' chiising 

 should receive 100 and be out of the contest at once. 

 Willful flushing, as above remarked, I would punish 

 with 6 marks for each offense. 



This letter has far- exceeded the bounds I had marked 

 out for it, and yet 1 have left much unsaid. In conclud- 

 ingl would say that both tiie N. A. K. C. and the E, F. 

 T. C. are to be congratulated on the energv that they 

 have shown in the matter of these trials, as" well as on 

 the discernment lliat they have shown in the selection of 

 the judges so far as announced. I wish that tliey would 

 amend their rules so tliat there may be no opening for 

 complaints from dissatisfied competitors: for with clear 

 rules and good judges, each man who enters his dogs 

 will know precisely what he has to expect, and must 

 abide by the decision rendered. Coui^les. 



Eastern Field Tbial.s.— The following is the pro- 

 gramme of the trials to beiam by the Eastern Field Trial 

 Club next fall :— The Second Annual Meeting wUl be 

 held under the auspices of the Eastern Field Trials Club, 

 at Robin's Island, PeconicBav. Long Island, N, Y., on No- 

 vemberiOth and :;Oth am! December 1st, 3d, 3d and 4th, 

 Open to the world, All-atieil stakes, open to aUsetters and 

 pointers. Limited to .".O entries. First prize, S200 -. sec- 

 ond, ^100 : jthird, ij.ib : fourth, .-si.".. Entrance ' fee. S2.1 

 Forfeit, $15. Puppy Slakes, open to all pointers and 

 setters under W mouths of age. Limited to 25 entries. 

 First prize, $100 : second, $50 ; third. l|25 ; fourth, $15. 

 Entrance fee, 1^15. Forfeit. $10. Nursery Stakes, open 

 to all setters and pointers under 13 months of age. Lim- 

 ited to 15 entries. First prize. SfiO : second §10 ; third 

 .§30. Entrance fee ^!(). Forfeit. S7.50. Brace Stakes, 

 Open to all setters or pointers, five braces to run or prizes 

 to be scaled. First prize, i*250 ; second, $135 ; third, $50. 

 Entrance fee, §25. Forfeit, |15. Club Stakes, open to 

 members of the club only ; dogs to be owned and hunted 

 by the member making the entry. Prize a hundred dol- 

 lar piece of plate to be selected by the winner. Entrance 

 10 per cent, of the value of the prize. This stake to be 

 runaftnr the close of the running of the Brace stakes, and 

 entries close on November ISth. Entries will be received 

 for the open stakes up to midday of November 27th, at the 

 office of the club, and on the grounds up to the evenin.g 

 before the trial. Entries must be accompanied by the 

 forfeit money in all cases. 



—Mr. Charles Lincoln, Superintendent of the St. Louis 

 dog show, has sent us a number of premium lists and 

 entry blanks, which can be liad by calling at this oflSce, 



KENNEL NOTES. 



N.tMES CnAiMED.— Braro.-Mr. George Norbur.v Appold, of 

 Baltimore, Md., claims the name of Bravo for pnjiiter dog puppy, 

 out ot; Kate, by Brag-g, Lark.~Ur. H. G. .Icromc, of Gale's 

 Ferry, Cono., claims the name of lark for his Euscliah hare beagle 

 bitch puppy, pureha.sed by him from Jfr. N. Elmore, jtfau;.— Mr. 

 A. A. Attins. of Turner's Pulls, .Mass., claims the name of Mar 

 for his English hare bengle puppy, purchased qy him from Mr. N 

 Elmore. BoimpnHe. and Z,i>iia».--Mr. Thomas M. Smith, of 

 .lersey City, claims the r.ftvnes of Bonaparte and Lienau for his 

 brace of red and white setter puppiPB, whelped May ith, 13S0, out 

 of NeU II, by T, O'Moore: he l^y Kory O'Moore. Surges' Hnfus- 

 Stoddard's Friend ; Nell II., Goldsmiih's Plunkett-Nell. Nettle— 

 Mr, Thomas. M. Smith, of Jersey City, claims the mime of Xetne 

 for red and whlt« bitch puppy, out of Xell 11., by T. O'JIoore. 

 rrhi.st.— Mr. Charles B. BsriiPS, of Boston, Mass.. claims the name 

 of Whist for his lemon s:u1 wliite doi,- puppy, whelped July 9th, 

 out or .Sibel, t.y Knfu'; II., uwried by Mr. Oenry Smith, of Boston, 

 Mass. .S('..t'.i.--Mi'. .\. ElmL.iu flaims ihe mime of Speed fur blaet 

 and tau foxhound bitoh puppy, presented to lilm by Jlr. George 

 Pounall, of Christiana, Pa. Flora Bctt. ilv. H. B. Sioll, of Corn- 

 lug, N. Y., olalma ;he name of Flora Bell for his red and wbite 



