26 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Auc4. 6, 1885. 



^^g mid 



Address all communications to the Forest and Stream Publish' 

 ing Co. 



BEAR DOGS. 



Editor Forest and Sir earn: 



"Bruiu" asks about what kind of dogs make good bear 

 dogs. In the winter of 1864-5, myself and partner killed 

 several bears in Minnesota, east of St. Cloud. The dogs we 

 had were a half mastifl' and half blue greyhound, weight 94 

 pounds, and a three-quai ter pointer and a one-quarter fox- 

 hound. The first dog was considered No. 1 after bear. The 

 two dogs were sure of their game every time we found a 

 fresh track. The bear could run but a short distance or 

 climb a tree, as one dog or the other were sure to snap him 

 in his hindquarters, so after a few moments he would sit 

 with back against a tree and light the dogs. The sire of the 

 dog was a blue greyhound and the dam was a mastiff. He 

 was very intelligent, and made a good dog to capture 

 wounded deer. A coon, fox or common wolf was only 

 sport for him, as he was very powerful and active. 



Since those days I have hunted in Kansas, the Indian 

 Eation. Texas, Mexico and Colorado; and now I am anchored 

 here on Bellingham Bay, where game is very plenty, but 

 the land game is very laborious to get without hounds". Fisb 

 in the lakes and streams are numerous, jmd in the bays of 

 the same both shellfish and numerous other kind are abund- 

 ant, and from fall until spring waterfowl are plentjr and 

 easily captured. The climate is 100 degrees ahead of auy 

 portion of the United States that I have ever seen. 



I am making a collection of birds and shells and Indian 

 stone implements, such as may be found on this coast, and 

 will exchange with any party' that may feel disposed to do 

 likewise. ' ' J. Y. Colltks. 



Whatcom, Wash. Ter. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Several bears have been seen within a few miles of this 

 place quite recently, and one was killed not far north of the 

 liead of Torch Lake, in the early part of this week, near a 

 public road, which he had frequently crossed of late at 

 about the same point. A man named PickneJl watched for 

 and shot him. One of the packs of bear dogs spoken of by 

 your correspondents might tind work here, but it would be 

 hard to ride to hounds in this neighborhood. Kelpie. 



Central Lake, Mich., July 85. 



Editor Fore»t and Stream: 



When I read the exceedingly interesting letter, signed 

 "Bruin," in your issue of June 83, I had a dim recollection 

 that the term bear dog was not wholly unfamiliar to me. 

 True, there is no breed known by that name in England 

 now, and as your correspondent saj's we have no large and 

 fierce game in this country, or we would assuredly have the 

 dogs to tackle them ; but the wild hoar and the wolf have 

 long ago disappeared from our forests, and we have now to 

 content ourselves with the red deer, the fox, the otter, and 

 the timid hare for our hunting, with the badger and lesser 

 game to ti-y the mettle of our terriers. 



Our common ancestors, however, in the rude old days of 

 bluff King Hal and good Queen Bess, and down to a much 

 more recent period, iraporied animals our island no longer 

 furnished, to act as makeshifts in satisfying the national and 

 natural instinct to indulge in savage sport. 



The bear garden and the bull ring are no longer English 

 institutions, but it is to those we must look back to learn 

 something of what our bear dogs were, and perhaps to tind 

 the material your correspondent, "Bruin," and his fellow 

 hunters of the bear and other large and ferocious beasts, need 

 in a dog qualified to serve them in these exciting pursuits. 



"Bruin," if I understand his letter aright, seeks informa- 

 tion and invites suggestions, and it is in the hope that I may 

 be able to help in finding the dog wanted, or to show how 

 he may be manufactured from existing material, or at the 

 very least to help in a pleasant gossipy discussion of the sub- 

 ject that 1 venture to address you. 



Hentzner, a German writer, who witnessed both bull and 

 bear baiting in England, says: "There is a place built in the 

 form of a theater, which serves for the baiting of bulls and 

 of bears. They are fastened behind and theh worried by 

 great English bulldogs; but not without risk to the dogs 

 from the horns of the one and the teeth of the other, and it 

 sometimes happens they are killed on the spot. Fresh ones 

 are immediately supplied in the place of those that are 

 wounded or tired," The great English bulldogs were proba- 

 bly what we should now call a bastard mastiff; it is certain 

 that but very few of our modern show bulldogs are fit to 

 face a bear, even supposing them to have the courage, for 

 they have been so bred to the arbitrary standard of fanciers, 

 that with their narrow, upturned lower jaw, and irregular, 

 weak small teeth, many of them could hardly make a mark 

 in a pound of butter, let alone tickle bruin through his 

 rough, thick coat. 



The bear dog is by otlier writers spoken of as the bandog, 

 mastiffs, etc, and johu Evelyn, in his diary, refers to the 

 Irish wolfhound in the same connection in these words: 

 "The Irish wolfhound was a tall greyhound, a stately crea- 

 ture, indeed, and did beat a cruel mastiff. The bulldogs 

 did well, but the Iiish wolfhound exceeded." 



That it wtis no puppy play to tackle the bear even when 

 fastened behind, may be gathered from Lamham's descrip- 

 tion of a baiting in 1575. He says: "It was a sport very 

 pleasant to see the bear with his pink eyes leering after his 

 enemies' approach ; the uimbleness and wait of the dog to 

 take his advantage; and the force and experience of the bear 

 again to avoid his assaults; if he were bitten in one place, 

 how he would pinch in another to get free; that if he were 

 taken once then by what shift witu biting, with clawing, 

 with roaring, with tossing and tumbling, he would work 

 and wind himself from them; and when he was loose, to 

 shake his ears twice or thrice with the blood and the slaver 

 hanging about his physiognomy." 



We have still the breeds of dogs that had the courage and 

 endurance essential to bear ))aitiag, but for the most part 

 these qualitieshave been lying fallow, and it is only in physi- 

 cal development and beauty of form we have improved our 

 dogs of that class. Indeed, in some instances, to a consider- 

 able extent, I think, in both mastiffs and bulldogs, essential 

 qualities have been partly sacrificed in favor of arbitrary 

 points. 



After this long preamble allow me to offer a few sug- 

 gestions on the formation of a pack of powerful, courageous 

 and hardy bear dogs. First of all I would call the attention 

 of "Bruin" and others interested in the sport to the work 



now undertaken in this country by the recently formed Irish 

 Wolfhound Club, of the resuscitation of the old and, if not 

 world famed, at least European famed Irish wolfhound, of 

 which Stainhurst, in his description of Ireland, 1560, says: 

 "They (the Irish) are not without wolves and greyhounds to 

 hunt them, bigger of bone and limbs than a colt." Now it 

 is not contended that there now exist Irish wolfhounds of 

 absolute purity, but that there remains in the hands of a few, 

 dogs with sulficient of the old and and true blood to serve as 

 a foundation for the restoration of the breed. I believe one 

 of the crosses resorted to in the resuscitating process is the 

 Great Dane, a breed that not improbably has some of tlie 

 Irish wolfhound blood in him. 



In working up to the standard of form and size they have 

 set for themselves, this combination of breeders must of 

 necessity have many dogs whelped in their kennels that, 

 being less likely than the others to suit for further breeding 

 toward the standard, will be drafted. Now, I venture to 

 say that this combination of the blood of such large and 

 courageous breeds as the Irish wolfhound, Scotch deer-hound 

 and Great Dane or boarhound of Germany would make, in 

 many respects, a most excellent bear dog. These drafts 

 would not, I imagme, be expensive; an important consider- 

 ation where a pack are to be used under conditions in which 

 many of them are sure to come to grief. 



Although all breeds of dogs learn to use the nose, it may 

 be that your bear hunters would want an infusion of that 

 quality from a breed in which it is intensely developed; and 

 in that case I would strongly recommend seeking it in the 

 pure English bloodhound, for through this cross there would 

 not be the loss of size likely to arise in crossing with the fox- 

 hound. 



I see "Bruin" is trying a cross with the bull-terrier; but 

 that will lead to great loss of size, and I should say instead 

 of the bull-terrier use the bull and mastiff first cross, a fiercer 

 and more indomitable dog is not bred; perhaps he is even 

 too much so, but for crossing I think not. 



I can see no reason, if American hunters of big game 

 would co-operate, why a breed adapted to all their require- 

 ments should not in a very few years be established and of 

 such distinctive characteristics as to be relied upon to repro- 

 duce their like in physical and mental characteristics bred 

 inter se. 



It is very probable that the Irish wolfhound, as I hope to 

 see him resuscitated by the club, might be the most suitable 

 dog possible for "Bruin's" purpose; and if that is likely why 

 should not Americans co-operate with the Irish Wolfhound 

 Club in its work? There are many gentlemen in the United 

 States of Irish descent whose instincts as sportsmen should 

 stimulate them to take part in so commendable a work as 

 the restoration to us in all his pristine grandeur of the king 

 of dogs, the old Irish wolfhound. 



There are other breeds that might well enter into the com- 

 position of the bear dog, such as a judicious commingling of 

 the blood and qualities of the large Pyrenean wolfhound, 

 the Siberian wolfhound or barsee with our English mastiff 

 and bulldog and a dash of bloodhound to give nose. 



1 may mention that the honorary secretary of the Irish 

 Wolfhound Club is Capt. G. A. Graham Dursley, Glouces- 

 tershire, England, who has long indentified himself with the 

 Irish wolfhound question, who Jias just published a most in- 

 teresting brochure on the subject, and would, I am confident, 

 give "Bruin" or other American sportsmen every information 

 and help in his power. Corsikcok. 

 England. 



TENNESSEE DOVE SHOOTING. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



A party of us had a very enjoyable dove hunt last week in 

 the vicinity of Memohis. Mr. McCallum, Registrar of 

 Shelby county, a genial sportsman and hospitable gentle- 

 man, invited a party to drive out with him to his farm, about 

 fourteen miles east of town, where he had a hundred-acre 

 wheat field, upon which the grain had been recently cut, 

 and where great numbers of young doves were congregated. 

 (The game laws of Tennessee do not protect doves.) 



Our party consisted of ten gentlemen, among whom were 

 Capt. Geo. Bookout, one of Mississippi's champion shots, 

 and Dr. Peterson, a Texas champion. These two gentlemen 

 had met here by appointment to shoot a jjigeon match for a 

 large .stake, but failed to secure the necessary birds for the 

 traps. There was also in the party Capt. Chas. DeGaris, a 

 local sportsmen, who we think would push either of the above 

 champions very closely in a match. So there was promise 

 of a very lively contest for the honors of the day. 



We left Mernphis at 5 A. M. in drags and buggies, with 

 good teams. The road is excellent as far as Raleigh Springs, 

 nine miles distant, where we arrived at 6:30. Here we 

 halted for breakfast, which we had ia the elevated and airy 

 hotel, and the early drive sharpening our appetites, we did 

 full justice to the ripe cantaloupes, raw tomatoes, fresh milk 

 and butter, broiled chicken, etc. 



After breakfast we drove the remaining five miles over a 

 rather rough and hilly road, arriving at Mr. McCallum's 

 ranche at 8:30. The first thing to do was to prepare a pail 

 of ice water, and uncork the demijohn of good claret, which 

 our worthy and appreciative caterer, Nick Maletesta, had 

 brought along. After refreshing ourselves, and having 

 turned out our horses in the beautiful grove which adjoins 

 the farmhouse, with good store of fresh grass for their 

 delectation, we repaired to the wheat field, about a quarter 

 of a mile distant. . . 



Wheat growing is exceptional in this locality, and this is 

 OTObably the only field for a considerable distance around, 

 ■so that all the doves in the country about were congregated 

 here. In a very few minutes this wheat field might have 

 been mistaken for a battle field from the constant belchings 

 forth of ten breechloaders. The doves were about three- 

 fourths grown. They flew very rapidly, and soon got quite 

 shy from so much bombarding. 



We kept up the f usilade till noon, notwithstanding the ex- 

 treme heat of the July sun and no shade available. It was 

 somewhat ameliorated, however, by the ministrations of a 

 Senegambian subsidized for that purpose, who constantly cir- 

 culated among the combatants, facing death in many shapes, 

 with a bucket of ice water, and who fittingly represented the 

 nmnditre of French battlefields. 



At noon we all repaired to the farmhouse and refreshed 

 ourselves with iced claret, "Lincoln county," peaches and 

 melons. 



After partaking with keen appetites of a first-rate, genu- 

 ine country dinner, we lolled around in gi-eat enjoyment, 

 relating how many birds each had killed and couldn't find, 

 how many were killed at fabulous distances, etc., and Nick 

 Maletesta had one fall into a puddle, and it was carried 

 under "by a turtle or something. " About y o'clock there 

 came up a hai'd shower, and it continued to drizzle duiing 



most of the afternoon. Nothwithstanding the wetness we 

 again took the field, which soon resounded with lively skir- 

 mishing. 



About 5:30 we reluctantly drew off, most of us being "but 

 of shells," and proceeded to show up our respective bags. 

 Capt, De Garis led the score with fifiy-three birds. Capt, 

 Bookout came next with forty-four. Dr. Peterson, the Texas 

 champion, was non-committal, so it is presumed befell below 

 those figures. Mr. Cannon, the worthy sheriff of Shelby 

 county, brought up the tail end with a score of three birds. 

 He also oft'ered many excuses and explanations though, all 

 of which were cheerfully accepted. The whole bag num 

 bered 225 birds. 



Having gotten our drags and buggies in readiness, we had 

 a pleasant moonlight drive back to town, Capt Bill Forest 

 (son of the Confederate cavalry general) taking the lead with 

 his spanking team of high steppers. We arrived at home at 

 9 o'clock, and after a good bath this member of the party 

 slumbered in such bhssf ul repose as only a weary sportsman 

 knows. Coahoma. 



Memphis, Tenn. 



OVER-SENSITIVE PRIMERS. 



Editor Forest and. Stream: 



Atone of the tournaments held at Wellington, Mass., T 

 met with an accident which you or your readers may be able 

 to account for. It occurred'in a double bird match. I was 

 called to the score, loaded and cocked both barrels, both 

 birds being sprung. I pulled on the left bird with the left 

 barrel and fired. Both shells exploded, alarming me some- 

 what and injuring the forefinger of my hand quite seriously. 

 Instantly- turning on my heel and facing the shooters, said: 

 "Gentlemen, you will please observe the condition of my 

 gun ; both shells discharged, the left hammer down, the right 

 at full cock." I then broke open the gun, finding the shell 

 in left barrel well indented, while the one in right barrel was 

 slight]}^ so. The gun is a 10-hore, 10 pounds, top snap, 

 heavy strikers or plungers, without springs, and made by 

 one of the oldest and best gunraakers in New England, and 

 presented to me by my brother sportsmen last fall. Similar 

 accidents have occun-ed during the past six months at tour- 

 naments when I have been present, and all first-class guns, 

 but in every instance the guns had heavy strikers. 



Now I ask, what caused the other shell to explode? The 

 accident was quite a shock to me, and seriously disturbed 

 my shooting for the balance of the day. 



Some twenty years since I pulled off both barrels by ray 

 finger slipping from the forward trigger, and from that date 

 it has been my invariable practice to shoot the left barrel 

 first in double shooting in the brush, and in .single bird 

 shooting at the trap. Have never heard or known of an 

 accident of this nature on guns having striker? with springs, 

 while with the heavy positive plungers four different times 

 has it occurred when I was present. Several theories have 

 been advanced. Can any one tell me to a certainty? 



C. H. Gerrish. 



ExBTER, New Hampshire. 



[The probable cause of the premature explosion was that 

 an over-sensitive primer was exploded by the shock of the 

 firing of the other charge.] 



A BEAR SUIT. 



A GENTLEMAN who lives in this village returned a'day 

 J\- or two since from a week's trout fishing in Potter 

 county, Pa. , and relates the particulars of a most amusing 

 and novel lawsuit, at the trial of which, before a backwoods 

 justice of the peace, he was present . Three weeks ago two 

 young Philadelphia sportsmen visited the region and camped 

 on the headwaters of Kettle Creek, where they expected to 

 remain. On the evening of the second day they made theii- 

 appearance in the village carrying between them on a pole 

 a large bear which they said ' they had killed af tei- a long 

 chase and a hard fight. They became the heroes of the 

 backwoods settlement, but for some reason they had decided 

 not to stay in the woods as long as they had intended to and 

 left for home next morning, taking their shaggy prize with 

 them. 



One day last week an old woodsman named Caiy Bonear, 

 who lives in the mountains ten miles from any settlement, 

 applied to the justice of the peace of the township for a 

 warrant for the arrest of John Hines, another hunter and 

 trapper, who was charged with appropriating to his own 

 use "one black bear, the propertv of the said Cary Bonear," 

 the complainant basing the charge on the alfidavit ot George 

 Hines, a cousin of Johu Hines, the aflidavit being made on 

 personal knowledge. The warrant was served aod the 

 prisoner was found working in the bark woods and arrested. 

 He was taken before the justice, where the proceedings iu 

 the case tell the story. 



The prosecution called Cary Bonear as the first witness. 

 He swore that on the Fourth of July, a tame bear, three 

 years old, that he had raised from a suckling cub, had 

 broken the rope by which it was tied, and had escaped to 

 the woods. The wit;ness at once began a search for it, and 

 on the 5th of July had met John Hines in the woods, where 

 he was at work, and had told him of the escape of the bear, 

 at the same time requesting him to keep a lookout for it, and 

 to be careful and not shoot any bear he might see in the 

 woods untd he had satisfied himself that it was not the 

 witness's tame bear. Bonear said he had told Hines that he 

 would give any one $5 who would return the bear unharmed. 

 He valued it at SS40. The bear was not found, and on .July 

 18 George Hines" had informed him that John had found the 

 bear in fhe woods on the 5th, and had £old it to two city 

 fishermen for |30. ^ , 



George Hines was next sworn. He testified that on July 

 6 he was helping his cousin John in the bark woods. At 

 intervals during the day they heard peculiar cries that came 

 from the valley of the creek, and which they supposed wtre 

 made by some bird or animal a mile or so away. Late in 

 the afternoon, the sounds still being heard, witness suggested 

 that they go down in the hollow and see what it was that 

 was uttering the cries. They went down in the direction of 

 the sounds, which became more distinct as they drew near 

 the hollow, and they presently discovered that they were 

 made by human beings evidently in distress. The witness 

 and John Hines hastened their steps, and soon came to the 

 Burned Mill cabin, on the creek, and there found two men in 

 the crotch of a small chestnut tree, calling lustily for help. At 

 the same time a lai-ge bear came deliberately out ot the cabin. 

 The men in the tree called frantically to the two woodsmen 

 to kill the bear, and John Hines was about to shoot it when 

 it made a move by which the two recognized Cary Bonear's 

 missing tame bear. The witness and his companion told the 

 frightened men in the tree that the bear was harmless, and 



