968 
racing wide of the guns turned their heads at the mo¬ 
ment the triggers were drawn, and received the rattling 
charges in their faces. One of the finest field dogs we 
ever saw was blinded in this way. The poor, intelligent 
brute looked for his master’s signal, only to receive the 
lead which ruined him forever as a field companion. And 
so it turned out—as if anything could make matters 
worse—that the dog bad never heard the calling whistle, 
his master being away to leeward, and the high wind 
and splashing water had carried the sound away. Then 
came the dog groping his way along, with a whimper¬ 
ing moan, which seemed to Bay : " Why did you ever fill 
my heart so full, and then come in like Death, and tear 
away the objects of my love? How blind I am ! How 
helpless and aim e!” 
Dogs, however, are vastly different in their tempera¬ 
ment, and the shooting process is by no means a cure all, 
Where it will check some wildly ranging dogs and teach 
them a lesson for days and weeks to come, it will terrify 
and bewilder others, who will drag themselves in to heel, 
refusing to venture forth again. Then there are run¬ 
aways who will leave for the uttermost parts of the earth 
the instant the charge patters on their flanks, and are 
gun-shy for all time to come, And again there are dogs 
who seem not to mind the broadsides poured into them, 
and continue in their wild running. An illustration of 
the latter trait we once saw while woodcock shooting 
with a party of friends, one of whom was the owner of a 
Southern bred pointer. The dog was what is called a 
"natural dog," that is, he was not trained in the least, 
but he possessed the faculty'of being alternately staunch 
and unsteady. Master Sport’s first performance was to 
leave us on the edge of the swamp and absent himself for 
over an hour, when he returned with a somewhat festive 
twinkle in his eye. He had evidently been pointing and 
flushing the birds, much tohis owndelight. After Sport 
had been remonstrated with through the medium of two 
dog whips and a remnant of an old foot log, the party 
proceeded on their way, perhaps a little depressed in 
spirits. Soon the prodigal winded a bird—which he then 
deliberately flushed. Three barrels were launched at the 
dog before the race had fairly commenced. The smoke 
cleared away ; the woodcock was somewhat ahead and 
"Sporty” a good second, Up the narrow swale they 
went, turned, and then came down again. During their 
absence it had been agreed that as one of the party was 
the best shot the honor of the shooting devolved upon 
him. As the dog swept past, not over thirty-five yards 
away, a chorus ot “ come in Sport ” arid two more charges 
were sent after him. Little did he heed, but on he went. 
Why he was not killed is a mystei-y. He chased the 
bird until he lost it and then returned, wagging his tail 
and licking the blood which was pouring like a shower 
bath from his well riddled sides. The dog was never shot 
at again, but was left to chase his birds evermore in peace. 
With the knowledge of these facts before us, we can¬ 
not consistently advise our enquirers to shoot at their 
dogs. Even supposing that they could be insured to es¬ 
cape all serious injury, as Sport did, we consider it to be 
the wrong means to bring about the desired result. 
Good, judicious training, assisted by the use of check- 
cords of various lengths, with collar and whip, will in 
time remedy these faults if anything will. Again, sup¬ 
posing that the shooting was a suro cure, many dogs 
would in one season he crippled and maimed forever. 
We warn all of the craft from this cruelty for all time 
to come. 
NORTH CAROLINA FOX HUNTING. 
Friday. Sept. 26th, closed our red l'ox sport of the week. 
On tnat morning Brodnax proposed that I should accom¬ 
pany him part of the way home, moving up the Roan¬ 
oke as far as Robinson's Ferry, twelve miles, in search Of 
other reds. At early dawn we were in the saddle and 
equipped for the move. Our packs were in full life. We 
kept the Eaton Ferry road some two miles above my 
residence, to a field well known as the " scratch field,"*’ 
This name was acquired from an incident in my red fox 
hunting, worthy of note. Many years since I invited 
Brodnax, Win. S. King, Col. Edmonds, Col. S. B. Tucker 
and John B. Putney to visit me and bring their respec¬ 
tive packs to run a famed red fox, famed for his speed, 
bottom and color. As on such occasions, we had a pro¬ 
per arrangement of everything, and quite early moved 
up the Roanoke and soon bad the red on his feet, and 
nimbly did he use them. His usual run was from my 
house to Robinson’s Ferry, twelve miles, and thence 
back to Gaston, eighteen miles. This lim was made 
twice with marked spirit by huntsmen and hounds. 
But on his third run down Sir. Putney stopped at the 
eorner of this field, and while there, and before he could 
hear a single note of the pack on their return from be¬ 
low, the red passed entirely through it, stopped a mo¬ 
ment, scratched up the earth, and then moved leisurely 
on. When we got to this point Mr. Putney told us the 
circumstance, and it being near night we gave Up the 
run, terribly weary and with no spirit to talk over the 
incidents of the day. Two of the party have passed 
away since then, and Col, Ned Edmond's and John B. 
Putney, qoble huntsmen, are now at all our meetings of 
this character favorably mentioned and thought of. 
When Brodnax and myself arrived at this field, allu¬ 
sion was made to the past and the incidents of that day 
gone over. We passed through the scratch field without 
striking a trail. Our dogs were all full of spirit and 
hunted wide. Before getting through the enclosure the 
whole pack broke out in full cry. indicative of a sight 
race, doubling the game once or twice in the woods. 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
We both stood motionless, undecided as to the game, 
Nor were we relieved by the thundering cry. The cross¬ 
ing of the track by my Monitor, who runs only a fox, set 
us at ease. But the pack had then moved up the Roan¬ 
oke, and with such speed that we could not hear them. 
I, however, dashed forward to Mount Misery, and on 
the ridge road opposite the Collar Bone met most of the 
hounds returning. I heard the horn of adeer hunter, and 
supposing his dogs had produced the confusion, I blew 
and made a rapid circle, arousing all the dogs. When 
Brodnax came up he stated that one of his dogs came to 
him with a piece of hark around his neck which he had 
put iu his pocket without examining particularly. lie 
then did so, and found a part of the fox’s brush tied to it. 
We soon searched up the huntsman and got the fox. 
Gaston, A. G., Dec., 1879. T. G. T. 
OUR LONDON LETTER. 
Editor Forest and Stream 
In my last letter to you I ventured on a few remarks 
on the subject of mange. At tbe time I wrote them, I 
thought to myself, "perhaps my Yankee friends may 
take^umbrage at my presuming to play the ’mentor.”’ 
They have not, however, so that in my future letters, I 
shall not hesitate to now and then give a hint or two 
on kennel management as conducted here in Merrie Eng¬ 
land. I always read your broad sheet almost from begin¬ 
ning to end, especially, and with pleasure, your fishing 
and shooting yarns, and I often get an idea that sets me 
a thinking from your correspondence columns. America 
must be a grand country for sport in a broad way. Here, 
when you go out, you are never sure of a good bag, and 
often you don’t get a nibble you could swear by. Up 
north, in my own country it is different. If you can 
make a cast at all, or have ever learned to swing a flail 
without caving in the stern posts of your skull, you are 
always suro of a decent basket of trout, or a bonnie fat 
salmon, and maybe two if you have luck. There is no 
camp life, however, unless you choose to make camp 
life of it; and none of that wild adventure which gives, 
in my opinion, such a charm to rural sport in Am erica. 
In Scotland when your day’s work is over, hungry but 
happy you take up your rod and toddle back to your 
hotel, generally a building of palatial appearance, even 
though there he not a house bigger than a shanty within 
miles of it, and as a lade the wilder the scenery—and I’ve 
no need to tell your readers how grandly beautiful is the 
scenerv of the Scottish Highlands—the wilder the scen¬ 
ery, I say, the better is the hotel. You wash your hands 
and change your socks, and after just a wee drop of 
mountain dew — the wine of those regions — you sit down 
to a dinner, the very sight of which makes your face 
sunny with smiles. There is many a bosky glen in Scot¬ 
land, their braes green fringed with waving birch, or 
tasseled with yellow broom and fragrant furze, with 
streamlets wimpling through them, that the Yankee vis¬ 
itor to these islands might do worse than spend a week 
at, unless, indeed he objects to the carol of hiverackhigli 
in the air, the song of the Untie in the whins, peace and 
quiet all day, mountain trout for dinner, an honest land¬ 
lady and a bonnie lass to wait upon him. If he doe3 not 
object to any or all of of these things, he can drop me a 
note before he leaves the almighty Republic. I’ll be happy 
to give him addresses. . 
It is thawing here to-day, sir ; that is more than it lias 
been doing for many a, day. We have had an early and 
rigorous winter. Happily, I, for one, was not unprepared 
for it, for, with the recollection of the specimen of sum¬ 
mer you sent us, I had no hopes of much mercy for the 
winter months. 
*• When biting- Boreas fell and doure, 
Sharp shivers thro’ the leafless bower, 
When l'lirebus gios a short-lived glow r, 
Far south the lift; 
Dim davVning through the flaky shower, 
Or whirling drift.” 
No t and I had plenty of straw, and soft meadow hay in 
the kdt. We in tins country find wheaten straw best m 
summer, and oaten in winter, the latter being softer and 
looser, and therefore warmer. But during the. extreme 
frost, washing down the kennel decks would have been 
highly dangerous. All mess was constantly removed; dry 
earth, sawdust, and disinfectants freely used, and oceans 
of bedding supplied. The animate had plenty ol exercise ; 
somewhat more food than usual, with supper at six for 
big dogs ; puppies, a little milk or broth about 10 o’clock. 
Treated thus, they have been as happy as Icings, and never 
once barked at night. 
A controversy has been going on in some of the sport¬ 
ing papers, regarding the best and cheapest biscuit for 
dogs Rev. Mr. McDouna tried to introduce some German 
stuff, which, cheap as it is, I am told will not keep long. 
The gentleman’s intentions were no doubt good; but we 
Englishmen are like cows, wo like to smell a thing before 
we swallow it, whether it he statement of fact, or a dog 
biscuit. And we’ve been so long used to good old Spratt, 
that we wouldn't throw them aside for the world. The 
Germans offered ns kings; we took them because the 
Stuarts turned out a bad lot. When Spratt’s patent turn 
out a bad lot of biscuit, then we’ll cut them, and order 
our cakes from the Fadevland—but I guess not before. 
There has been the usual amount of growling tliisyear 
after the "great” Birmingham show. In my opinion, 
however, there was less cause. The judging, on the 
whole, was good, with the ordinary slips and overlaps, 
of course. The committee are learning civility to the 
press. The dogs, however, are still far too crowded. At 
Brighton I entered the dog show as the representative of 
a foreign press, although doing work for an English 
journal. I entered as your reporter, and received eivd- 
Uy and a ticket to spare. At Birmingham I did not dare 
for fear of the refusal of a free pass. The amount of 
hospitality shown to a stranger in England decreases as 
you retire inland, till about Nottingham and the regions 
round about, they, instead of bread, give you a stone. 
"Be he a stranger, ’Any?” Bill will remark—"Aye, 
Bill, he be.” ’Arry will reply, “ ’Eave ’arf a brick at his 
l)_ —y ’ead then." This is riot new, but it is true. 
Your railway companies, 1 find, are Uot a whit more 
kind or obliging to canine passengers than ours are. 
What does all this reel tape about consuls’ certificates 
mean ? I’ll never forget the first time I visited your,con¬ 
sul here. 1 was told I must have three invoices, and 
make a declaration. I declare solemnly at that time 1 
didn't kr"w what the dickens an invoice was, and a pro¬ 
fessional friend whom I consulted was just as g£^ A.* 
Finally my family grocer solved the mystery. It ’gon-r^c 
bill of lading, after all. I sent out the other day a <nty-\ ( 
English mastiff. I am told he created no small sensJt a 
at New York, He struggled through the customs, aflai ‘ -, 
now creating a sensation at Montana, but his little bite® 
the companies for bis passage between New York n 
that territory was one hundred and fifty dollars! ,e 
The Scotch collie bitch Lassie, which I exported, Iff 1 ® 
glad to see took first at St. Louis. I bred her. She is out 
of the celebrated Trio, and bas the best blood of this 
country in her veins. This is a dull time here in the 
canine world. My next letter I hope will be more in¬ 
teresting. A happy new year to you and your readers. 
Gordon stables, M.D., R.N, 
Squirrel Dog.— Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 23rd, 1879.—In 
hunting the wily fox squirrel in the thick bottoms cf this 
country a dog is of great assistance in squirrel shooting. 
He finds them in the woods, drives them into the briers 
and catches them when wounded. The best dog I ever 
had for this purpose was a large sized Scotch terrier. A 
cross between terrier and hound will make excellent dogs 
for this sport, also for coons, possums and rabbits. 
J.0.B, 
Eastern Field Trials Club.— A meeting of the East¬ 
ern Field Trials Club was held in this city last Tuesday, 
at which the discussion of the protests in the last field 
trials were discussed. Dr. Fleet Spier, of Brooklyn, the 
owner of St. Elmo and Romeo, claimed second prize in 
brace stakes. Dr. William Jarvis, of Claremont, N. H., 
claimed first prize in brace stakes for his red Irish setters 
Raleigh and Lorna. This was awarded, it will be remem¬ 
bered, to Glen and Ned. The two protests were not sus¬ 
tained by the Club. 
A resolution was then adopted limiting the number of 
entries in the puppy stakes to be run next autumn to 
twenty-five ; their ages to be not above eighteen months ; 
the prizes to he $100, $50, $25 and $15; entry fee, $15 ; 
forfeit, $10. In the all-aged stakes entries will he limited 
to fifty ; prizes, $200, $100, $50 and $25. In the brace 
stakes the prizes are $250, $125 and $75. Entry fees and 
forfeits in last two stakes the same as in the puppy stakes. 
The nursery stakes are open to puppies under one year of 
age at date of trial; prizes. $60, $40 and $20 ; entry fee, 
$10 ; forfeit, $7.50. The nursery stakes will be ran on the 
first day of the trial. 
The club also offer a piece of silver plated, of the value 
of $100, to be selected by tbe winner and to be contested 
for only by members of the club ; for dogs of any age ; 
contestants to handle their own dogs. For this the entry 
fee is ten per cent, of the value of the prize, and the en¬ 
tries are not limited. 
Monday, Nov. 29th, was decided upon as the day for 
beginning the trials. Tuesday, the 13th inst., at six 
o’clock, was named as the day for the meeting to elect 
officers for the ensuing year. The following gentlemen 
were elected members of the club: Erdmann A. Herz- 
berg, New York; John B. Goodwin, Norwich, Conn.; T. 
N. Hall, J. G. Heckscher, H. Geiger, and Charles Hec-k- 
scher, 
—The bench show of dogs which it was proposed to 
hold in connection with the exhibition of the Western 
New York Fanciers’ Society, at Albany, Jan. 20th, has 
been postponed for lack of room. 
S tr § andj/titpying. 
SNARING A DEER. 
S OME years ago, with a number of gentlemen, I spent 
a considerable time in a section of country known 
i a consiaerauio imiw iu a dcl-uai.hl cuumir 
is the “ rice lands,” and having an abundance of leisure 
ye devoted much of our time to hunting. Many pleas- 
mt and interesting incidents occurred, some of which, as 
rou find space for them, I will furnish for your excellent 
ournal. 
The section referred to was almost in its primitive con- 
lition, and abounded in lakes, rivers and swamps, with 
,-ast. pathless forests almost untrodden by man, and iu 
.vhiehgameof all kinds was abundant—almost "stacked” 
ip. Each one of us might justly be termed a fair shot, 
md we were certainlv eager, if not very discriminating 
sportsmen. Shortly after locating ourselves we began an 
Extensive and thorough survey of our surroundings, 
winging into play for our use all the intelligence and 
mow ledge of the "rice hands” with which we fre- 
juently met. For awhile we could scarcely understand 
inything they would say, but eventually we became used 
;o their urimitive ways and talk, and passed many pleas- 
mt hours listening to their incredible stories, told with 
;o much earnestness as to leave no doubt as to their own 
lelief in them. , _ , . 
One exciting incident I will relate now. One evening, 
while enjoying our pipes and relating our hunting ex¬ 
periences. tbe subject of snaring deer was brought up, 
iome of tile party declaring it impossible, contending 
that deer were far too intelligent and too wary to be en¬ 
trapped ; others, again, declaring its frequent occurrence. 
Die discussion waxed warm, and finally it was deter¬ 
mined that we would make a trial of it for the satisfac¬ 
tion of all, the entire arrangements being left in the 
tiands of myself and Joe Th-. 
Intending to give the matter a fair trial, we made our 
preparations with great care. After scouring the woods 
Cor several miles we selected a broad sandy knoll, where 
jould be seen thousands of deer tracks. This knoll was 
ionnded on the south and west by large bodies of water, 
wid north aud east by a dense forest. After a little 
search we found a large oak with a sufficient but not too 
arge quantity of mistletoe. We felled the tree and eare- 
’uliv removed all except a few buncheB of mistletoe, 
which we left in one spot. (We had known pothunters 
:o cut down a mistletoe tree and then, after nightfall, 
secrete themselves near and shoot tbe unsuspecting deer 
is they came to feed upon their favorite food, and hence 
pur selection of bait.) Next we formed a slip-loop at one 
Hid of a half-inch rope, the other end of which was 
securely fastened to an adjacent tree. The mistletoe re¬ 
maining cm the tree was in such situation that a deerm 
feeding would necessarily have to reach upward, and 
iround tins mistletoe was arranged the slip-loop, and in 
such manner that a little shaking of the bushes would 
-ause the fall of the rope. A deer in f eedmg would reach 
