Jan. 29, I68§vl 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



11 



letter in Forest and Stream, "tbat there is a fair sprinkling 

 of these dogs throughout the Highlands of Scotland;, and l 

 think Mr. (tow, the obliging landlord of the McDonald Arms 

 Hotel at Kinnloeh Bannoch, m Perthshire, could supply some 

 information on the subject." Now I trust after this that Mr. 

 H will be able to distinguish between the Highland and the 

 bonny Scotch colley, which is a very taking dog, and has all 

 the good qualities 'of his neighbor, except that lie would not 

 endure such severe hardships and bitter cold, ihey are not 

 of every color either except "green," but they are of more 

 mixed colors than the Highlander, which is either dark, pep- 

 per and salt or brown, sometimes a white blaze on face, or a 

 white belt across the body or ring around the neck, but the 

 "all one" color is considered the best. I thank Mr. H. for his 

 invite to Toronto, but God save the mark, if colleys are judged 

 there as 1 have seen them elsewhere in America, for certainly 

 what I have seen was bad, I beg to decline going. Now Mr. 

 H., why not compel every judge to produce a certificate or 

 intelligence and capability from the commissioners of lunacy? 

 That would go as far with me and some others as the sapient 

 opinions of dog show committees. When really practical, 

 reliable judges of our various breeds are appointed to act, 

 then voii may see a doggie or two on the show benches be- 

 longing to A Roving Hishlander, 



ENGLISH KENNEL NOTES. 



xxm. 



THE show that will open under the auspices of the Kennel 

 Club, at the Crystal Palace, on Tuesday, will, in point of 

 numbers, be the most important since such gatherings were 

 first instituted. The splen-lid total of over 1,600 entries bears 

 a twofold explanation. Beyond doubt it expresses the con- 

 fidence of exhibitors in the Kennel Club's system and officials, 

 and secondly it is in no small degree due to the central position 

 of the show ground and its vicinity to the metropolis. There 

 may be, I would insinuate, a third, and for myself confessedly 

 great inducement, that is the self-explanatory opportunity of 

 doing the round of London gaieties. 



I think I have on a former occasion mentioned that the 

 Collie Club marked their disapproval of the judge, a Mr. 

 Byron, selected for their classes by the Kennel Club, by declin- 

 ing to give any extra prizes. This must have been the act of 

 a committee and I am disposed to give it my approbation on 

 the ground that they being specialists are therefore the best 

 authorities of a judge's capacity, and if in their opinion Mr. 

 Byron did not possess the knowledge that woidd enable liim 

 to properly award the prizes to such an important class, then 

 they were" doing a duty so simple that it stared them in the 

 face. 



The natural, however regretable, sequence to this act would 

 have been a falling off in the collie entries, but this is far 

 from being the case, as Mr, Byron has obtained the extraordin 

 ary entry of two hundred and beaten the lecord. Fox-ter- 

 riers usually reach the highest numbers, but the collies this 

 time beat them by about twenty entries. 



1 suspect the apparent inconsistency of the large entry can 

 be accounted for in the presumption that many of the exhibi- 

 tors do not trouble themselves with the doings of the subsidi- 

 ary clubs, that those who do not read the papei-sknow nothing 

 for or against Mr. Byron — a fresh man has always a better 

 chance than one who has already tried and blundered— and 

 then there is a large proportion of the fancy who would have a 

 shot at the fat prizes even under the most unlikely and shal- 

 low-minded judge, say Mr. Fred, Greshain, for instance, or 

 any other such "one-breed man." 



This incident contains many points of interest to the sup- 

 porters of specialist clubs, ft should be their ambition to 

 make their influence so extensive, that when the Kennel Club 

 proceed to elect the judges they should put themselves into 



communication with the specialist olu.be, who, if forgetful of 



their own inooroots, am ever thoughtful for the breed they are 

 united to support. 



I would go much further and make a proposal that I will 

 do tbe Kennel Club the honor of believing they would accept, 

 that is for the honorary secretaries of all the specialist clubs 

 to immediately, on appearance of the schedules, forward a 

 list of their selected judges, from wich the Kennel Club could 

 make their choice. It is manifest that such a plan must be 

 beneficial to both parties. It is only open to the suspicion 

 that it might be in time employed to further the ends of a 

 clique. I do not fear such an event, as the members choose 

 their mouthpiece when they elect the committee, and it 

 would be too grave a scandal to escape the wary notice of the 

 doggy "chiels amang us takin' notes." I apologize for that 

 mouldy quotation, but it ran out of my pen. 



The Great Dane entry of sixty dogs was as unexpected as it 

 is gratifying to their club's zealous honorary secretary, the 

 Rev. Gam bier Bolton. Again I repeat that the secretary is 

 the club. A specialist club will rise to pre eminence under'the 

 sedulous labors of an active, juvenant secretary, and as 

 easily lose vertebral power under a somnolent, laissez-faire 

 official. 



I wonder if Mr. Stephen, tho Kennel Club secretary and 

 manager of the Crystal Palace show, has had the curiosity to 

 measure the distance from bench to bench in the galleries. 

 The show is held at one end of the Palace and forms a horse- 

 shoe in the gallery. Were I an exhibitor in both classes, col- 

 lies and St. Bernards, which are usually benched at the two 

 ends of the shoe, I think I should put myself in training for 

 the event. 



The long doggy correspondence in our Daily Telegraph on 

 "Reason and Instinct," concluded with an hilariously witty 

 letter from a funny dog, who signed himself "Ponto," from 

 Barking. "Ponto" appears to be not unnaturally desirous of 

 showing us how our dogs see us, and in the course of his ob- 

 servations solemnly relates a few acts of human intelligence 

 that have come under his own notice. He says: "I once had 

 in my possession an old lady who used to accompany me in 

 my walks. She was in the regular habit of giving a certain 

 crossing-sweeper a penny on Monday mornings. One day she 

 went out without her purse, but on the following Monday she 

 gave him twopence, recognizing from the force of habit, or 

 instinct, or whatever you like to call it, the omission of the 

 previous week. On another occasion I lost her in the neigh- 

 borhood of Campden Hill, and though I searched up and down 

 the streets in every direction, was unable to recover her. Re- 

 turning home, what was my pleasure and surprise to find her 

 sitting in the drawing-room. She received me with every 

 demonstration of delight. Now how did she get home? Was 

 it reason or instinct?" 



"No man is a hero to his own valet," says the proverb. 

 What are we to our dogs after this? 



It has long been a pet theory of mine that the intelligence 

 of a dog is not wholly unconnected with the mental caliber of 

 his master. This I will avow, that stupid men have always 

 stupid dogs. This is not such a ridiculous speculation as it 

 may appear at first sight. My dog is my constant companion, 

 in-doors and out we are together; if I am pleased his counten- 

 ance mirrors my content, and his tail wags approval, so our 

 feelings are alike : fasting or feasting we are together, I eat 

 the meat he has the bone, thus our tastes are similar, and so 

 on, ad absm-ilum. In this manner we might arrive at the con- 

 clusion that the dog's mind would become the reflex of his 

 master's, and there be only the difference of speech between 

 them— and er, vice versa, Ponto, perhaps, eh? So, for instance, 

 suppose you know, we saw an advertisement from the re- 

 porter of the 'Live Stock Journal or one of his friends: 

 "Wanted, an intelligent companion dog," we should know 

 what they mean; ha! ha I Ponto. I am glad to make your ac- 

 quaintance, give me your paw, what will you take, plain water 

 or with a drop of Cohdy's fluid m it? 



I remember to have heard some time ago when 1 was up in 

 town that the St, Stephen's Review had changed hands, and 



that I believe it was Mr. Shirley who told me in the club the 

 new editor was an ex-doggy man, Mr. Wm. Allison, barrister 

 at law. The present generation of fanciers has almost for- 

 gotten his tall slight frame in the judging ring. But among 

 us older fogies are preserved pleasant recollections of the 

 witty and vivacious writings pregnant with sound sense and 

 reasoning that too seldom appeared from the pen of Jester's 

 owner. I look upon Mr. Allison and Mr. Russell Earp (the 

 first honorary secretary of the Fox-terrier Club) as the creators 

 of the modern type of fox-terrier. 



That the doggv man's pen has not lost its cunning, and that 

 the editor's "fancy" is as "free" as of yore is proved by the 

 sparkling pages of his present hobby, the conservative social 

 organ. 



I am in receipt of a letter from an American mastiff breeder 

 who desires me to enucleate the mystery of Crown Prince's 

 paternity. Thank you, sir, one at a time; I have not yet 

 found out "who's Griffiths." I am afraid that this august 

 question is doomed to be added to the late Lord Dundreary's 

 stock of "things that no fellah can understand.'' I confess I 

 have read the correspondence and I affirm that the language is 

 so plain and the. assertions so flat that I am undecided which 

 party to disbelieve. The Old English Mastiff Club seems to 

 have the best of it for invective, and I must admit that their 

 exuberant language is too heavy for their facts. Mr. Dalziel 

 is equally forcible but hardly so ornate. 



There "is a tale told of a famous painter whose opinion had 

 been importuned by a vainglorious amateur on the letter's 

 pictures. After a careful and prolonged inspection the celeb- 

 rity bade his young friend "Adieu" and confessed that "you 

 beat me in frames!" 



Hither again, friend Bunsby, and explain the application of 

 the above. 



It seems to be admitted that the secretary of the club did, 

 at the meeting, ask Mi - . Corsincon Dalziel if he "purposed 

 swindling Mrs. Robinson." That maybe considered purely 

 ornamental, which Mr. Dalziel can afford to yield if he has 

 the facts. It is now stated that a letter from Mr, Cook exists, 

 in which he says he "believes the Shah was the sire of Crown 

 Prince, and that nothing would change his belief," but I must 

 tack about, for my brain is beginning to whirl. 



The Kennel Gazette for January publishes a new list of 

 associates; of some sixty names there are only two who have 

 ever been heard of before. 



Next Thursday will be sold at Aldridge's, in London, a large 

 draft from Mr. Harding Cox's kennel. Among those that will 

 come to the hammer are several well-known wire-haired fox- 

 terriers and wavy-coated retrievers. This sale by no means 

 signifies Mr. Cox's retirement from breeding or exhibiting. 

 The part proprietor of the Field takes too great an interest in 

 dogs to think of altogether giving them up. The notification 

 of such a step would be received with regret by the many 

 friends his good parts and good nature have gained him. 

 "Little Pitchers" have long ears, though it is long since either 

 their corn or chaff was seen in the Count i y. 



In addition to the remarks 1 made upon the Stephen and 

 Wyndham Carter affair, it seems to be "good form" to affect 

 utter indifference to the latter's insults. The persons attacked 

 are, I understand, of opinion that they can afford to ignore 

 his acts and deeds. I have spoken to friends of Mr. W. Carter, 

 who are reluctant to think ill of him, and still hope that he 

 will one day realize the folly of his present reckless and un- 

 worthy conduct. LrLLIBTJLERO. 



Jan, 10, 1885, 



of the papers for room and board, and he will quickly have 

 all such ideas dissipated. We are all justly complaining of the 

 miserable weather vouchsafed us for the past two weeks, but 

 console ourselves with the reflection that you all are not 

 much better off up your way. More anon. Foxhoiun '. 



Nkw Orleans, January S3, 1X85. 



NOTES FROM NEW ORLEANS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I am enabled at last to give your readers some detiuite in- 

 formation in regard to the New Orleans bench show. At one 

 time it seemed as if the affair would have to be abandoned 

 entirely, owing to the untimely death of our old friend, Chas. 

 Lincoln, and the inability of his executors to decide on a 

 proper and fit person to take charge of the affair and make a 

 success of it. With rare good judgment they have at last 



pleasure of meeting _. 



Whitman, of Chicago, who in connection with his advantages 

 of having practical experience at bench shows, combines the 

 energy and push of the typical Chicagoan, and all the proper 

 business qualifications necessarv to command success. I found 

 him this A. M. at his desk at No. 53 St. Charles street, busily 

 engaged in answering letters, forwarding entry blanks, and 

 dispensing all the information in his power to his numerous 

 correspondents and visitors. 



The date set for the opening is Wednesday, March 5, and 

 entries will close on Feb. 23. In addition to "the regular list 

 of cash prizes an unprecedented quantity of special prizes 

 have been and are daily being given. As an instaneo, while 

 I was conversing with Mr. Whitman a well-known sportsman 

 of this place stepped up and asked his acceptance of a silver 

 cup as a special prize in the Irish setter class. Mr. W. assured 

 me that this was the third instance of this kind that had oc- 

 curred in the past twenty-four hours. 



Although the date has been fixed after our carnival week, 

 this fact need not be construed into a disappointment, for we 

 have the big exposition going on, and besides, the 4th of March 

 is the anniversary of the New Orleans Fire Department, and 

 that day is always celebrated in a manner peculiar to New 

 Orleans', and is well worth a visit from New York to witness. 



Speaking of dogs reminds me of shooting. Happening to 

 pass down St. Charles street a day or two since, I was hailed 

 by that prince of good fellows, Leon Marthe, of No. 19 St. 

 Charles, who called me in aud wanted to show me the pros- 

 pective headquarters of the visiting sportsmen who are to 

 attend the Ligowsky Clay-Pigeon Tournament next month. 

 Although Leon does not claim to know a shotgun from a gat- 

 ling, he certainly understands the needs of a sportsman, and 

 every detail necessary to their comfort has been provided in 

 these superb quarters. Visitors will feel as if they are enter- 

 ing their private clubroom, and "I speak by the card" when I 

 say that the lunch my friend Leon serves up when you lay 

 down your money is ruinous to boarding houses and causes 

 one to propound the mental conuudrmn: "How can he 

 do it?" Leon does not force his hospitality on his visitors, as 

 the sportsmen's room is separate from the bar-room. The 

 agent of the Ligowsky Clay -Pigeon Company has not x>ut in 

 an appearance yet, but your readers can rest assured that the 

 tournament will be a success. The various professional 

 matches do not and never will command the countenance and 

 support of our local sportsmen, aud anything like hippodrom- 

 ing for the purpose of acquiring cheap notoriety, has always 

 proven a failure here. 



The favorite pastime among the shooting fraternity here is 

 bat shooting, both on account of its cheapness and the skill 

 requisite to bring the bat to grass. Like our weather, bat- 

 shooting is very uncertain, and the expert is frequently the 

 victim of the novice. I have just seen the agent of a new 

 shotgun, who is making an exhibit of their goods at the ex 

 position. He informs me that it is his intention of giving* 

 a practical illustration of the working of tho new shotgun 

 at an early date, by putting up one of the guns as a prize to 

 be shot for. The conditions of the match are that six live 

 bats are to be thrown by hand at one time— that is all 

 turned loose at once— and each shooter is to fire six times 

 at them with the prize gun. The match will undoubtedly 

 prove a hit and bring out a large number of shooters, thus sub- 

 jecting the gun to a severe test. 



I notice in our morning papers that the various railroad 

 companies intend reducing their fares very materially from 

 the present rates to visitors to the exposition. Should any of 

 your readers have an idea that board is high and scarce to get 

 down here, just let him insert a :35-cent advertisement iri one 



POINTER BREEDING. 



Editor Forest and St i cam: 



"Saxon's" letter in your issue of the 10th inst., is the most 

 remarkable production that has ever come under my notice. 

 Prejudice is the reason of fools. If a man allows himself to 

 be blinded by it to such an extent as to cause him to ignore 

 the truth, he "should at least be careful not to contracUot him 

 self half a dozen times over in one short letter. 



"Saxon" must be joking when he appeals for "fair play" to 

 one who, well nigh single-handed, has fought his way against 

 innumerable odds, and through the worst elements of our army 

 of dog ignorance. Come, old man, try agaiu ! That's going a 

 wee bit too far. How would it look if the commander of the 

 thousands of troops that surround General Stewart and his 

 handful of men in the Soudan were to hand in a request for 

 "fair play?" Somebody might admire his cheek, but the pub- 

 lic would laugh at his folly. 



Let us now direct the dissecting knife toward "Saxon's" 

 "careful study," for that is what he tells us it is. "Several 

 years ago Mr. Mason came to tlus country, bringing with him 

 a number of dogs, among them several pointers; at least he 

 said they were pointers." "Saxon" clearly insinuates the 

 dogs were not pointers, and continues ''The great field-trial 

 champion, Chancellor, was one of them, if I remember rightly. 

 After attending several bench shows, and having a walk-over 

 for the honors with his iuvincibles, Mr. Mason became tired of 

 such easy victories and longed for new worlds to conquer." 

 How does "Saxon"' reconcile his insinuation that the dogs 

 were not pointers, with his statement that they were mviiici- 

 bles and had a walk-over for the honors.' A little further on 

 "SaxoM" writes, "his (ur;) wild and intemperate denuncia- 

 tions of men and dogs that have incurred his displeasure, but 

 gain him the iU will aud contempt of thousands of sports- 

 men." How, in the name of common sense, does "Saxon" re- 

 concile such a statement with the insinuation that my dogs 

 were not pointers, aud that they had a walk-over for the 

 prizes' "Saxon" (not I) denounces Americans and their 

 dogs, when he informs us that my mongrels beat the 

 good American dogs, and that American judges were 

 such a lot of noodles they couldn't distinguish 

 between good-looking dogs and mongrels. When have i, Mr. 

 Editor, ever written of American sportsmen or their dogs in 

 any such terms? Never, "American sportsmen." says 

 "Saxon," ' iove a good dog. " The evidence is certainly not to 

 be found in "Saxon's" acknowledgment that thoy loved my 

 mongrels. This mau is too much tor me, Mr. Editor, I have 

 turned his letter upside down and tried to read it in that way, 

 I have also tried to read it like Hebrew, but whichever way 1 

 look at it, it beats me to make either head, tail or common 

 sense of it. "The great field trial champion Chancellor was 

 one of them." I now summon "Saxon" to produce evidence 

 in support of his insinuation that I represented Chancellor a 

 held trial winner. The dog had no field trial record whatever, 

 and the man does not live who is able to produce one grain of 

 evidence to show that I ever said he had. He won about 

 thirty first prizes, and was exhibited twice in this country, 

 winning on each occasion. Come, "Saxon," no Chicago busi- 

 ness, I demand evidence, aud that, too. without any dodging. 

 Your nomde plume won't shield you, if without being able to 

 furnish evidence, you write anything reflecting on a man's 

 reputation or his character. 



In the face of this deliberate concoction "Saxon" coolly says, 

 "Mr. Mason should be fair in his statements." Then "he 

 proceeds as follows : "He (myself) tirst told us how ignorant 

 we are ; could not find a single man m America besides him- 

 self that knew a pointer when he saw one." Will "Saxon" 

 inform us when and where I have so written or said anything 

 of the kind? It is not in his power to do it ; how then, in the 

 face of such a falsehood, does he expect anybody to believe 

 that he is one of the thousands of sportsmen who love a good 

 dog, but who "love fair play more." 



Now for la crime de la creme. I told Americans, says this 

 foolish "Saxon," "the dogs we had imported were nothing but 

 scrubs and mongrels and unfit to breed to." A little lower 

 down he credits me with saying. "Faust, Bow and Keswick 

 wero pointers par excellance." Everybody knows these dogs 

 were imported. Perhaps "Saxon" can explain the consist- 

 ency of the two statements; I cannot. Has the individual's 

 prejudice blinded him completely, oris he bereft of his reason? 

 "Saxon" acknowledges that in my critique on the pointers at 

 the New York show I wrote, "Jilt was the best bitch in the 

 show." How does he reconcile my having written thus with 

 his statement that "Mr. Mason should be fair in his state- 

 ments," etc. What did the Forest and Strfam say of Jilt ( 

 Here it is: "In the bitch class first went to Jilt, who was per- 

 haps deserving, although we liked Belle and Joy, both 

 he, fully as well." Mine was the only report that said 

 Jilt was the best bitch in the show. How then can "Saxon" 

 insinuate that I am prejudiced against Mr. Godeffroy 

 or his dog? I write of dogs, not their owners, and I write in 

 the interest of the public."" Neither Mr. Godeffroy nor "Saxon" 

 can influence an opinion of mine — never did and never will. 

 I advised owners of pointers not to breed to Croxteth, and I 

 do so again. The reason why I could not consistently advise 

 anybody to use him in the stud is because he has a slack back, a 

 weak loin, a shallow chest and faulty feet, added to which 

 he has a coarse, badly-carried tail, and begets light-eyed 

 puppies. I would not breed to any dog that was faulty in 

 back, loin, chest and feet. Such faulty conformation should 

 be bred "from" not "to." Slack backs, weak loins and splay 

 feet are difficult to breed "out." Why then endeavor to per- 

 petuate them? They are structural faults that are easily 

 transmitted, and whatever importance American breeders 

 attach to them, we give them a very wide berth. Croxtoth 

 almost invariably stamps his structural faults on his get, and 

 my opinion of hiin in 1881, which was publicly expressed in 

 1883, has been indorsed conclusively, He has been in the public 

 stud about six years, and up to the present time he has not 

 sired one acknowledged good-looking dog. I don't say a first- 

 class dog, but I challenge nis numerous admirers to name and 

 produce a good-looking dog by him. So far he is the sire of 

 two good-looking bitches, Jilt and Lady Croxteth. But is 

 "Saxon" aware that neither of these bitches is first- 

 rate? Put Jilt or Lady Croxteth alongside my old 

 bitch Lady Isabel (first, Birmingham, 1876; championship, Bir- 

 mingham, 1877;) or Mr. Lloyd Price's Bow Bells, and you 

 would see what was wanting. With the exception that Bow 

 Bells is throaty, she is near perfection, whereas both Jilt and 

 Lady Croxteth are slack in the back, a fault of itself suf- 

 ficient to prevent their ever beating first-rate specimens. 

 Somebody will ask me if I mean to say that there was not a 

 first-class pointer bitch on exhibition at the New York show 

 of last spring. It is best to be frank, and I say that there was 

 not. My old bitch, Water Lily, has never been beaten since 

 she came to this country, four years ago, and she is acknow- 

 ledged to be one of the best large-size bitches in America. 

 Why, "Saxon," when I exhibited Water Lily at Birmingham 

 under the judgeship of three as good men as" ever went into a 

 ring, what did she do? She took a com men led card, there 

 being seven others ahead of her, and if "Saxon" will refer to 

 my report on the show, he will find I said she got all she 

 deserved. 1 do not know of any big bitches in this country 

 that can beat her to-day. What does all this prove! Cer- 

 tainly not that I am a false prophet, but that what I told 

 your readers in my first letter to this paper (Aug. 16, 1883) 

 was the truth, «There is, therefore, much 'to, he done; much 



