THE HUNTING DOG. 



5i7 



to say, "why waste time over one bird when 

 there are bevies to be found somewhere else." 



That, Mr. Lonsdale's dogs covered unneces- 

 sary ground in the South there is no question, 

 but it has always struck me that they held 

 their own under the altered conditions to 

 more advantage than their wilder and less 

 tractable rivals would have done in the Eng- 

 lishman's country. 



Turning from this, one comes to the show 

 bench versus the field trial winner. Cham- 

 pions in the ring nowadays are ignored not 

 only by genuine sportsmen, but every Tom, 

 Dick and Harry who claims the 

 ownership of a "bird" dog. If 

 you ask Tom or Dick or Harry, 

 how his "bird" dog is bred, you 

 will invariably discover that the 

 "bird"dog's parents neglected to 

 bear an authentic record of his 

 birth, and if you are of an earnest 

 disposition and call to see the 

 "bird" dog, you will see some- 

 thing that no one with an eye for 

 symmetry and grace could toler- 

 ate for a minute. 



Because field trial winners don't 

 figure much at dog shows, it is 

 a downright injustice to claim 

 that winners in the ring are no 

 good in the field. In the first 

 place the owner of a real top notch 

 field dog would rather win at the 

 legitimate game, than that which 

 is judged by a standard based on 

 an ideal outline, form, shape, 

 make, symmetry, etc. Both here 

 and in England, field trials are at their 

 height when the principal shows are being 

 held, which is one reason why few smash- 

 ing workers are seen in Madison Square 

 Garden. Another, is the fact that it is quite 

 as difficult to breed an animal approaching 

 the ideal of a bench show judge, as one ap- 

 proaching that of the field trial judge. 



In all breeds used for working purposes of 

 some sort or another, the layman overlooks 

 the fact that if the bench show champion 

 himself is not a world beater at his legitimate 

 business, his ancestors were noted for their 

 prowess, and for this reason their sons and 

 daughters were cherished and their line care- 

 fully preserved. Furthermore, the fact is 

 overlooked that a pointer or a setter has a 

 litter of puppies to the tune of six or seven 

 or eight. Of twenty litters averaging six 

 each, he is lucky who breeds one worthy of 

 championship honors. This leaves a balance 

 of 119 brothers and sisters, and it would be a 

 tcurious mood of nature if at least six of the 

 11 19 had not more brain power, or bird sense 

 than the Adonis of the batch. Brilliant work- 

 ing dogs are not necessarily good to look at, 

 any more than a brilliant man is handsome. 

 But as there is an ideal in the human, so 

 even is there an ideal in field trialdom. 



The standard by which a pointer or setter 

 is judged in the show ring has no opera 

 bouffe or burlesque flavor. It was .threshed 

 out in all seriousness by men whose dogs 

 had become renowned not only for their 

 beauty and grace, but for their brilliancy in 

 the field. For instance, a show pointer does 

 not have substantial hard bone, and closely 

 knit, deep cushioned feet, because they are 

 pretty, but because they best endure and sup- 

 port his weight ; he does not have obliquely 

 placed clean cut and free moving shoulders 

 because they add to his appearance, but* be- 



NELLIE D. 



Dr. Darrah, owner 



cause they enable him to gallop at top speed 

 and maintain his speed ; he does not have 

 deep substantial ribs because they look nice 

 but because they give him plenty of lung 

 power and heart room. So to the minutest 

 detail, each being required because it is the 

 most suitable for the purpose. 



If dog shows and field trials did not clash 

 there would be more field winners taking 

 ribbon and cups at dog shows, and more 

 dog show winners prominent in field trials. 

 Were it possible to bring the relations be- 

 tween the two, closer together, there would 

 be little ground for casting a slur on the 

 working properties of a bench winner. 



In the dual capacity pointers have always 

 figured more prominently than setters. With- 

 out going into a string of details the deeds 

 of Bang Bang, Sensation, Naso of Kippen, 

 Duke of Hessen, King of Kent, and Woolton 

 Game, should always refute iUe charge that 

 a show dog is but a pampered pet. King o~ 

 Kent was not only one of the best field dogs 

 and best specimens seen in a ring, but he is a 

 sire and grandsire of some of the best work- 

 ers and best show specimens. Woolton 

 Game was not only a bench show champion 

 in England and here, but a field trial cham- 

 pion in England. 



