no 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Sept, 3, 1885. 



moutli of McKenzic River, Pt. Barrow, Bristol Bay, Norton 

 Sound and Kodi/i k Island this instrument is in use. From 

 Sitka to Columbia River grow the gi-eat cedar trees, out of 

 which tliese immense dugout canoes are made, iu wMcli the 

 navigator carries a long spear twelve or fifteen feet in lengt.li, 

 and on the end of that a harpoon used for whales. 



The Esquimau almost lives in his ky&k or skin boat and is 

 so securely fastened in that any accident to the boat is certain 

 death to him. Wei-e he to use his spear alone in making a lunge 

 he would overturn his boat and expose himsel to great danger. 

 So he i.s compelled to make use of some means which will 

 Yioth answer the purpose of giving the required force to his 

 spear, and avoid tlie danger iucm'red without its use. He can- 

 not use the bow in giving the required force to the spear, ne- 

 eessaiy in harpooning the seal. It is very difficult to use either 

 a bow or firearm in a, boat. So he is dinven to the use of this 

 invention, happily hitting upon the device of the throwing- 

 stick. 



The principle upon which the instrument is used is this; The 

 fisher takes the throwing stick in his right hand usually, with 

 the sjpear firmly pressed down in the groove of the stick with 

 the fingers. He then brings it up, throwing it a little back 

 over the right shoulder. Tuere is a little hook, generally of 

 ivory, at the upper end of the groove of the stick in which the 

 spear rests, which fits in a notch made in the end of the spear. 

 After getting the weapon in position, without moving his 

 body, he gives a swift and abrupt motion forward, the spear 

 darting from the throwing-stick with great rapidity, the 

 fingers having been raised to allow its passage. 



An interesting fact has grown out of the study of the throw- 

 ing-stick, namely, thp.t it is in use in only three different 

 regions of the world. Iq Australia in a very simple form, with 

 a hole for the fore finger : in Soutli America and among the 

 Esquimaux of North Ameiica; in those three locahties alone is 

 it used. 



I shall give you a brief desci-iptiou of some individual speci- 

 mens, and let you look at the others when I am through talk- 

 ing. We will commence with this one fi-om Greenland (show- 

 ing specimen). There is a groove for the spear, notches oM 

 opposite sides for thumb £ind forefinger, a small hole midway 

 in the groove near the notches for a peg which is insei-ted in 

 the shaft of the spear. Instead of a hook at the opposite end 

 thei e is an oblique bole in the ivoiy into which another peg 

 near the end of the spear fits. The next is from Cumberland 

 CtuH (showing specimen). Very clumsy and roughly made, a 

 groove for the spear, a hole for the forefinger, a notch for the 

 thumb, also three notches on opposite side for the fingers. A 

 goose-spear is also used with this one, which when thi-own at 

 the goose just as likely hits the gander. Ungava Bay (showing 

 specimen). Shaped veiy much like a fiddle-head, a hole for 

 the forefinger. The bend is a great advantage to the himter, 

 as it increases the facility of launching the weapon, and a 

 spear when used with this will go a great distance. Mouth of 

 McKenzie River (showing specimen). Most primitive of all the 

 collection; a very rude furrow for the spear, a hole for the 

 forefinger. 



The Anderson River is the dividing line between the eastern 

 and western Esquimaux. From that line going westward and 

 then southward the thromng-stick improves very rapidly. 

 The form begins to greatly resemble the razor strop handle, 

 w ith liook or peg at the end of the groove for catching the 

 notch in the end of the spear, groove, hole for the forefinger, 

 notch for the thumb, and in some instances ivory pegs are in- 

 serted, thus making spaces for the fingers, affording a better 

 grasp. 



In Alaska great headlands project out into the water, thus 

 creating barriere among the people and causing sharp dividing 

 lines and differences in the forms and degree of elaboration of 

 the throw'ing-stick. After passing the Island of Nunivak, the 

 finger hole disappears, and is not agam seen until we come to 

 Kodiak Island toward the east. From one of the Aleutian 

 Islands we have a left-handed thi-owing-stick with hole for 

 the forefinger, and another left-handed specimen fi-om Nuni- 

 vak, razor strop handle, no hole for forefinger, thumb notch 

 and pegs on opposite side making finger spaces. 



I will not try to tell you how far back in the past this inven- 

 tion must have been made. References are made in old clas- 

 sical literature to one or two forms of contrivances for giving 

 additional force to weapons used in thi-owing or darting, and 

 I tliuik probably this device is the descendant or offspring of 

 something of that kind for gi\ung additional momentum, 

 rather than a transformation of the bow. 



By using the throwing-stick with the spear the force is given 

 to that weapon which the bow gives the arrow, or the sling 

 to the missile thrown. So that this httle instrument lends its 

 aid in the three regions mentioned, supplying a great need, 

 probably to be met hy no other means. 



he Mmnel 



Address all coinnmndcations to the Forest aiul Ntream Publish- 

 ing Co. 



FIXTURES. 



BENCH SHOWS, 



Sept. S3, 23, 34 and 35.— Dog Show of the Milwaukee Exposition As- 

 sociatioD, .lolin D. Olcott, Superiuteudent, Milwaukee, Wis. 



Sept. ay, yo and Oct, 1, a. -Third AnDual Dog Show of the Southern 

 Ohio Fair Association. H. Anderson, Secretary, Dayton, O. 



Sept. 39, 30 and Oct. 1.— Twelfth Dof? Show of the Western Penn- 

 sylvania Poultry Society, Pittsbiu-gb, P.i. C. B. Elben, Secretary. 



Get. 6, 7, 8 and 9,— Sieoond Annual Dog Show of tlie Philadelphia 

 Kennel Club, iu conjunction with the Pennsylvania State Agricultural 

 Society. E. Ooinfort, Secretary, Philadelphia, Pa. 



Oct. fj, V, 8 and !).— Fourth Annnal Dog Show of the Danbury Agri- 

 cultural iSociety. S. E. Hawley, Secretary, Danbury, Conn. 



Oct. i, 8 and !). — Dog Show of the York County Agricultural Soci- 

 ety., Entries close Sept. 28. A. C.Krueger, Superintendent, Wrights- 

 ville, Pa. 



Oct. 8 and 9.— Second Annual Dog Show of the Stafford Agricul- 

 tural Society. R. S. Hicks, Secretary, Stafford Springs, Conn. 



FIELD TRIALS. 



Nov. 9.— Second Annual Field Trials of the Fisher's Island Club, for 

 members only. Max Wenzel, Secretary, Hoboken, N. J. 



N(jv. 9.— Iirst Annual Ti'ials of the Western Field Trials Associa- 

 tion, at AbUene, Kan. Entries close Oct. 15. A. A. Whipple, Secre- 

 tary, Kansas City, Mo. 



Mov. iti, i8/«5.— Seventh Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field 

 Trials Club. High Point, N. C. Entries for Derby close May 1. W. 

 A. Coster, Secretary, Flatbush, L. I. 



November. — Fourth Annual Trials of the Robins Island Club, Robins 

 Island, b. I., for members only. Wm. H. Force, Secretary. 



Dec. 7.— Seventh Annual Field Trials of the National Field Trials 

 Club, Grand Junction, Tenn. Entries for Derby close April 1. B. M. 

 Stephenson, La Grange, Tenn,, Secretary. 



A. K. R.-SPECIAL NOTICE. 

 rpME AMERICAN KENNEL REGISTER, for the registration of 

 -■- pedigrees, etc. (with prize lists of all shows and trials), is pub- 

 lished every month. Entries close on the 1st. Should be in early. 

 Entry blanks sent on receipt of stamped and addressed envelope. 

 Registration fee (.'50 cents) must accompany each entry. No entries 

 inserted unless paid in advance. Yearly subscription f 1.50. Address 

 "American Kennel Register," P. O. Box 3833, New York. Number 

 of entiles ah'eady printed 2588. 



PHILADELPHIA KENNEL CLUB.— Philadelphia, Aug. 

 28, 1885. — Editor Forest and Stream: Mr. Greo. Esherick has 

 been elected treasurer of the Philadelphia Kennel Club in place 

 of Mr. L. Shuster, Jr., resigned.— E, Comfort, Secretary. 



WESTERN FIELD TRIALS ASSOCIATION. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



We telegraphed you yestei'day that Col. W. E. Hughes, of 

 Dallas, Texas; B. C. Sterling, St. Louis, Mo., and D. C. Ber- 

 gundthal, of ludianapohs, Ind., had been appointed judges for 

 this association's trials to be run at Abilene, Kan. "the week 

 beginning Nov. 9, 188.5, which we now confirm. 

 ^ The prospects a re very flattering for a successful meeting. 

 The meraV)ership li&t is being lengthened daily, and Ave hope 

 to see the a.ssociatiou placed upon a firm basis for coming 

 years. Let all of those interested send ia their names. 



Thank your paper for the kind notices received. 



A. A. Whipple, Secretary and Treasurer. 



ICansas City, Mo., Aug. y6. 



STANDARD REVISION. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



Can any of the gentlemen lately appointed to revise the 

 standard of the English greyhound" kindly inform the writer 

 how long this breed of dog has been bred in Great Britain and 

 how long since the race has been at all prominent here, and if 

 it is possible that the dog has been used in America for cours- 

 ing to svich an extent as to warrant any change iu construction 

 of his physical makeup? 



Will one of the committee on harriers state how many 

 purely bred dogs of this strain he has seen in the United States? 

 I refer to the pure Enghsh harrier, not the mongrel foxhound 

 and beagle cro.ss commonly termed harrier here. Further, will 

 any spoi"tsman in the United States not on such committee 

 answer the sa,me question? 



Can any of the gentlemen on any of the terrier standard 

 changing cormnittees inform the readers of Forest and Stream 

 why it is that as these breeds have all originated in Great 

 Britain and attained their high standard of excellence, we 

 should not accept the present points for judging laid down? 



Bond. 



SHOW DISTEMPER. 



Editor Forest and Stremn: 



In your issue of Aug. 27 Mr. J. M. Frone field, Jr., denies that 

 Gleneh Elcho had distemper at the Philadelphia show last May, 

 and hastens to contradict me, for fear that my charge will be 

 the means of keeping exhibitors away from the coming Phila- 

 delphia .show. I am sorry I did not mark the Irish setter that 

 did have distemper, iu the catalogue. And I don't think that 

 Mr. Fronefield will deny that there was an Irish setter in the 

 puppy class down with distemper during the last three days 

 of the show. I am sorry that my article appeared in A. K. R. 

 as it was not sent for pubhcation, and 1 so requested, for 1 

 would be one of the last ones to do or say ought that would 

 injm-e the Philadelphia show. I am under obligations to the 

 management of the late show for favors shown me while there. 

 But I think it the duty of the veterinarian to have removed 

 at once any subjects of distemper. I was appealed to by the 

 owner of this Irish setter to enter a protest against his remain- 

 ing, as he, the owner of the dog, had requested the privilege of 

 removing him and had been refused to do so. The dog was 

 benched the third or fom-th dog north of my Flora H. I may 

 be wrong as to name, but in subject I am correct. Was it not 

 Gerald? If this article meets the eye of the owner of the dog 

 that was afflicted with distemper and that made the request 

 to me I ask him to corroborate my statement. I don't suppose 

 there ever was a dog show without its after results of dis- 

 temper, and I don't doubt for one moment that those in charge 

 of the Philadelphia show wei-e any more negfigent than the 

 management of other dog shows. " In conclusion I wish to say 

 I don't court any paper controvei-sy on the subject, but will 

 ask Mr. Fronefield to say am I right or wrong in saying there 

 was a red Irish setter doAvn with distepiper? I say "there was 

 such a subject, if I am wrong as to name of dog. 



tf. R. HOUSEL. 



Watsontown, Pa., Aug. 38. 



WITH ST. BERNARDS AT THE HOSPICE. 



HAVING returned from a dehghtfid visit to the Hospice 

 but a week before the Crystal Palace show, I natm-ally 

 often compared, in my own ramd, the St. Bernards as they 

 are in their old mouutain home, with the St, Bernards as they 

 appeared before me in the show ring. The few thoughts sug- 

 gested to me by the comparison may not be oiit of place in 

 your columns. I do not give them with the view, on my part, 

 of introducing debatable matter, neither do I give them in a 

 dogmatic manner, but simply as the thoughts pressed on me 

 by the coincidences of seeing the best specimens of the St. 

 Bernard at home and abroad, praeticaUy, at the same time. 

 Fu'st of all let me say a word about The Hosisice du Grand St. 

 Bernard and the Holy Fathers there. Though fatiguing eaily 

 in the season, it is nevertheless best to make the visit before 

 the snows melt. You see everything as it usuaUy is. The 

 idea given by a visit — say in August — is not more correct than 

 would that be to a traveler from the Alps of the Trossachs 

 seen in the depth of winter and covered Avith snow. Leaving 

 the mules about half a mile from the Cautine de Proz, after a 

 long tramp, we were gi-eeted on aiTivai, good humoredly, by 

 the dogs. I need not describe The Hospice ; many of your 

 readers know it as Avell as I do. Suffice it to say Ave wei'e re- 

 ceived most kindly by the monks. The Avants of the inner 

 man — and outer man, too, for we were Avet through — were 

 even luxuriously attended to ; after AA^hich Ave were iuA'itod to 

 have a look at the dogs. Thus, with agreeable conversation 

 and information readUy giA-en, the evening Avas passed. It was 

 very cold, and it was hard to realize it was midsummer; but 

 after a warm at the fire, a good night's rest closed the day. 



The five o'clock bell for mass woke everybody. I will not 

 attempt to describe the scene. Readers can imagine the 

 snow-clad Alps with the morning sun shining in full splendor. 

 After mass and breakfast the dogs were let out for om* grati- 

 fication, and off they went over the suoaa^ in the most business- 

 like manner, as if on errands of mercy bent, appearing qiute 

 disappointed when thej' found the monks Avere not f oUowing, 

 and that their day's work Avas not to begin just yet. There 

 is a tradition and rehgious halo surrounding these dogs; but I 

 know there is also a certain amount of incredulity Avith many 

 people who do not hesitate to bi-and the rehgious part of it as 

 superstition, and the traditions as false; but that the Holy 

 Fathers do a good work, and that their dogs help in it, there 

 can be no question. I have heard people say— "What! fifteen 

 monks and seven or eight dogs liA-ing at the highest perman- 

 ently inhabited spot m Europe doing good! What is their 

 sphere of usefulness?" It is not my object to write Avhat can 

 be read in the gtiide books, but the Pass of the Great St. Bern- 

 ard is historical as the highway into Italy. Travellers who 

 can afford it, can now rush by railway along the Gotthard 

 route— but for poor travellers this pass is stifl the best way. 

 They cannot afford guides, and those of us who, with guides, 

 know what a false step may do, can easily understand how 

 many sUp— to be found no more ahve— or to be rescued. 



Who rescues? or if tho poor traveler perishes, who finds his 

 body? and in a reverent way carries it and takes care of it 

 until— the chance of identification gone— the melting of the 

 snow in the valleys allows decent sepulture. The rescued, of 

 course, go about their business ; those found too late to rescue 

 during this past winter numbers thirty -seven, men and women. 

 At my rec^uest one of the fathers took us to the morgue, VA'hei'e, 

 ti-ue enough, I counted that number. The quantities of human 

 bones found from time to time teU the tale of those lost — that 

 ai-e never found again, dead or afive. One St. Bernard dog- 

 not belonging, how^ever, to the Hospice du Grand St, Ber- 

 nard—had, I was informed more than once, saved this winter, 

 somewhere in the Rhone Glacier district, seventeen travelers. 

 I have said this much to show thei'e is enough evidence, well 

 authenticated, to justify me in saying there is a religious halo 



still round the St. Bernard dog; it is not superstition; the tra- 

 ditions oC him are not false, and he comes to us with a prestige. 

 However, if any man desires further proof, let him spend a 

 Ayinter at the Hospice. If he surAdves it, let him write his ex- 

 periences in the Live Stock Journal. 



Somehow or other there is an idea that the monks have no 

 good dogs, as we should caU them. I use the word "good" ifl 

 the way an English breeder and exhibitor would use it. This 

 was an error. I was agreeably surprised. I think I may 

 safely say there is no one kennel in England that can turn 

 out seven or eight full-grown dogs to match this number at 

 The Hospice. They are so full of quality— and no other word 

 conveys the meaning. It seems to me the life they lead, the 

 work they do, the inteUigence they are constantly called upon 

 to exercise, give them an expression which is very, very rare 

 in England. Is this far fetched when we consider the one 

 dog bred, born, reared and trained at The Hospice, and the 

 other too often bred among d'jg shows, taken to this show 

 and that during puppyhood, and in after years, should he 

 sm-vive, alternating beWeen forcing foods, dbg shows, eczema 

 and physic? I was more than ever forcibly struck with the 

 fact that a St. Bernard is not a dog to be kept shut up in a 

 kennel, and it reminded me of one of my own dogs which I 

 usually take in my rambles; he was twice the dog for intelli- 

 ence after an excursion among the Welsh mountains and 

 nowdon, and now knoAvs as AVell as I do when we are off, 

 and selects his railway carriage with as much judgment as 

 any other gentleman. But this hy the way. 



Their pups a,re boni and partly reared in the vaUev. and 

 come up to theu- future home in the Avarmer weather, and so 

 gradually get acclimatized for the muter. The monks keep 

 the best. The greater proportion of those they sell, they told 

 me, go to Russia. Perhaps some of your readers can inform 

 us whether they are there kept and bred pirre, and, if so, what 

 a Russian St. Bernard is Like, or whether they cross them? I 

 am inclined to think the latter. 



As everybody knows, the short-coa,ted is what the monks 

 Uke best on accovmt of the work the dogs have to do, though 

 —probably owing to the cUmate, their short coat is longer than 

 our short coat — not so mastiff-Uke. They do not condemn 

 the long-coated; they had one in their kennel, but more for 

 fancy than anything else. Mahy were nicely mai'ked, as we 

 should caU them. One of the most valuable was brindle. I soon 

 saAV their opinion of him when i asked if they would sell him; 

 another was all white, exti^pt a patch, on ear, I think. There 

 AVas a good deal of White . All had single or double dew claws ; 

 and I Avas ansAvered by the monks, Avhen asking thoii- opinion 

 bf a dog without dcAv claws, "not good." They appear to 

 place equal value on single as on double dew claws, and I often 

 received the reply "not the true race" when I elsewhere asked 

 an opinion as to no dew claws. They attach an importance to 

 the carriage of the tail, but they have the same difficulty with 

 the ears that we have. The dogs at The Hospice are not so 

 large as some of our largest, though, omitting these, up to our 

 average — but their bitches are fully up to ours. I saw one 

 bitch, I think quite as big as any bitch in England. Judging 

 f I om the quaUty of their dogs and the size and quality of theii" 

 bitches, I should say they are cultivating their breed, and the 

 next time I go I shall expect to see larger dogs. With all their 

 exercise and isolation they sometimes lose a valuable dog. I 

 received a letter from The Hospice only yesterday saying a dog 

 was dying Avhich 1 had hoped soon to haA^e seen in my ken- 

 nels. From what they told me their aogs ai'e longer coming 

 to maturity, their groAvth not stopping so soon as ours by sev- 

 eral months. This is probably owing to their pjups being less 

 forced than ours are. 



There is an expression, character, and nobility of head 

 among the dogs not easOy forgotten ; and as you come away 

 you fool inclined, involuiitaiily, to raise your hat to the old 

 Patricians among them - and as for the Holy Fathers— well, 

 you' feel a regret- at leaAing— a regret that time should so fast 

 itiave fioAvn. You come away AAdth an affeclionfor them, and 

 reverence for their abode. 



I saw a few good dogs elsewhere in Switzerland— names are 

 invidious— but the position of one gentleman In the St. Bern- 

 ard world, as the re-founder of the race, to whom we are all 

 indebted, almost demands I should mention by name. I re- 

 fer to Mr. Hemricli Schiunacher. He is as courteous as ever, 

 and a long life of St. Bernard breeding has not damped his 

 enthusiasm. 



Now, after aU this, what about St. Bernards in England? 

 I contend Ave must either adopt the historic, traditional— and 

 religious if you like— St. Bernard Avith all his prestige, and 

 having adopted him, breed up to the same points as are con- 

 sidered to be correct by the best breeders in his natiA^e land. 

 Or alter the points as "yon Uke— breed to the altered points— 

 but call him the English St. Bernard. We must adopt him in 

 liis entirety, or let ours be a rival. No doubt much of tho 

 interest and popularity attaching to the dog in this coimtry 

 exists on account of his connection with the Hospice and the 

 noble work he has done for centuries ; in fact, his nobility and 

 prestige. The St. Bernard minus this, Avould, notAvithstand- 

 ing his magnificent propoi'tions, not be the dog he now is. I 

 say stick to the old type. Let them be as big as possible, 

 but we must not saciiflce quality for size. On the grounds 

 I have given, dew claws are, to "say the least of it, vei3" 

 important. In color we neeci not be frightened at Avhite; 

 there is no doubt tlia.t too much white is better than too 

 ittle. 1 think Ave ought to encourage more than we do, 

 the smooth-coated. The rough are equally pm-e,but inasmuch 

 as the smooth-coated are the favorites at the Hospice, to main- 

 tain the complete unity of type between the dogs at The Hos- 

 pice and ours in England, we hear of eveiy pvip of a litter 

 being "enormous," "sure prize-taker," etc. ; as if every dog, 

 any more than every child, is born to fame ; and a very brisk 

 trade is therefore 'done anywhere within the reach of the 

 Great St. Bernard or a snow-capped mouutain, in pups. Many 

 come thr-ough England on then- way to America 1 was told. 



I now revert to deAv -claws, because I know many Avho, if 

 they have read so far, will have said: "Why! the old Barry 

 had none." It sounds a weak case to say he had, but that 

 they Avere cut off by the aitist who stuffed him. Such, how- 

 eve'r was the fact. I know I am on debatable ground, so 

 quote verbatim from a letter received a few days since: 

 ''Barry, qui se trouve an Mus6e de Berne, n'a jjoint de 'deio- 

 claws,'' mais je suppose que V artiste qui la depordU, ne con- 

 naissait pas Vimportance de ^double claws,' et qiril les a cou- 

 peespar Viynorance. Les Conventuales qui ont amene Barry 

 vimnt. A 181.5 de VHospice jusqu'd Berne in'ont assure en 1866 

 quHlavait 'double ektws,' et le Prieur, le Claefiidter, et tout 

 ces messieurs, m^onl ras.mre en 1866, 186S, et ISi'A), qu'ils n^ele- 

 vent point, de chiens qui, n'ontpas 'double cla/ivs.'" 



I have not given the name of my informant out of courtesy, 

 as it Avas a private letter; but I may say he is knoAvn person- 

 ally to some St. Bernard men, and by name and reputation to 

 all' Be this as it mav, there is no question Schumacher's 

 Barry had single dew claws, and there is no doubt whatever 

 that no breeder of any standing Avould now breed from a dog 

 deficient in these, and from the latter 1 have quoted this Avas 

 the case twenty years since. If any ot yoiu- readers are at 

 Berne, and have an hour or two to spare at the station, I 

 should advise them to Avalk to the museum and see tJie old 

 Ban-y, and then take a cab and drive over to Hollingen and 

 see Schumacher's Barry— that is, all that remains of them. 



There are epochs in the histories of nations and indi- 

 viduals, and there are epochs in the history of the St. 

 Bernard dog. The snowstorm of 1813 was an epoch; the 

 revival of the breed by Schumacher was an epoch; the 

 introduction into England was an epoch; the Crystal 

 Palace shoAv of 1885 was an epoch, by Airtue of the sale of 

 Plinlimmon for something Mke SOO gs. , for, after all, it was not 

 a fancy price, simply market price, plus enterprise. English 

 St. Bernard breeders must now halt and take stock; oui- 

 American cousins are in eai'nest. Wlien will be the next 



