FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 5, 18B5. 



the Bloodhound. 



Concord, N. H.— Editor Forest and Stream: It is a 

 matter of tradition among men who have fancied, cher- 

 ished, and bred dogs in England and America that the 

 bloodhound is the ancient hound of England and the pro- 

 genitor of all hounds which hunt by scent. The ancient 

 dog was a slow mover, and was doubtlessly selected gener- 

 ation after generation, and bred for the pre-eminent powers 

 which he exhibited in the pursuit of human beings, in fol- 

 lowing their trails closely and enduringly, and i n his courage 

 when aroused to battle. The abilities and instincts of the 

 animal without doubt were what suggested and estab- 

 lished the name bloodhound which the dog now bears. 

 Unfortunate it is that the name is suggestive of a ferocity 

 which the dog does not possess constantly. Only when 

 aroused in the pursuit or when battle is offered does he 

 show the desperate resolution and formidable powers 

 which he holds dormant in time of peace or about the 

 home of his master. 



In ancient times in England the bloodhound had an 

 extensive and common use in the pursuit of poachers, 

 sheep thieves, murderers and other malefactors, many 

 crimes then being capital off ences which now are treated 

 as misdemeanors. His precision in following wounded 

 game also won him the consideration of the hunter. 

 Hounds then were valued both for the spirit and rejoice- 

 fulness of their voices, their clarion notes infusing life 

 into the chase, and for the success in bringing down the 

 game, be the same small or great. 



In the old times there is little room for difference of 

 opinion as to the speed of the bloodhound. It is certain 

 that he was a slow dog, deliberate, relentless, vindictive. 

 Those of our time are not fast, but they are a great im- 

 provement on the ancient hound. His temper at times 

 was sharp, vindictive, held in check by awe of his master, 

 yet often surlily manifested toward strangers. He was a 

 most formidable agent in keeping the negro in subjection in 

 slavery days, as once a pack was on a runaway's trail his 

 escape was hopeless. ' Swamps, open fields, switch cane, 

 rivers, all failed in any way to check the pursuit of the 

 noisy pursuit. The negro's flight was on foot, his scent 

 was strong, and his final escape from the vengeful furies 

 -was to climb a tree where the pack he'd him at bay till 

 the overseers arrived, when he was taken back to bond- 

 age. The common use to which the bloodhound was put 

 in the capture of slaves in ante helium days brought the 

 bloodhound into undeserved disrepute and brought a 

 stigma on him which he has carried even to this day. 



In war the bloodhound has a small place in the history of 

 tumultuous times in Florida. During the Seminole war, 

 President Van Buren, through persuasion and advice, con- 

 sented to the use of bloodhounds in tracking the Indians 

 through the almost inaccessible everglades of Florida, 

 and for this purpose many were imported from the isle of 

 Cuba, where bloodhounds were valued highly for the 

 pursuit of slaves. The experiment was an entire failure, 

 the dogs absolutely refusing to pursue the Indians. 

 Seemingly, the special breeding for negro hunting had 

 been so tirmly established that the dogs knew nothing of 

 the chasing of Indians. 



The bloodhound is sedate and majestic in his deport- 

 ment, with a pervading tincture of sadness in bis 

 demeanor. In olden times he was spotted and white, but 

 now the recognized color is black and tan. 



The dog is strongly built, head large and domed, ears 

 generously large and flexible, so large that sometimes 

 they are an incumbrance. The red and bleary eyes of the 

 bloodhound, with the raw surfaces of the eyelids exposed, 

 give him a most truculent appearance, almost a look of 

 ferocity. It is doubtful if there are any of the genuine 

 bloodhounds in this country, as the purity of the South- 

 ern hounds has been disputed, I have been told. 



H. L. W. 



POINTS AND FLUSHES. 



A correspondent has consulted us on a case which is no 

 doubt of great scientific importance, and also, to a certain 

 extent, of interest to breeders. It seems that our corre- 

 spondent's dog was bitten by a stray dog. The wound 

 healed up, and he seemed to have not suffered any ill 

 effects from the bite. He was shortly afterward visited 

 by a bitch, and appeared to be in the best form, but in a 

 few days signs of ill health were noticed, and he ulti- 

 mately died of rabies. When the dog served the bitch his 

 blood was beyond doubt already tainted with the virus of 

 rabies, and the question has been asked if that would 

 detrimentally affect the puppies and possibly also the 

 bitch. We submitted the case to Mr. Alfred Sewell, M. 

 R. G. V. S,, and his reply is, "So long as the dog did not 

 bite the bitch she is perfectly safe, and so the puppies will 

 be if there are any the result of the service, and I see no 

 reason why there should not be."— Stock -Keeper (England). 



Mr. Z. T, Baker, agent for the Meadowmere Kennels, 

 Southampton, L. L, reports that he has made a number 

 of sales during the past summer at good prices, and that 

 he has received many inquiries for fine poodles. He adds 

 that their prize dogs are in excellent condition. The 

 prize list for October can be obtained by addressing Mr. 

 Baker, 13 William St., Room 1006. 



To those who mistakenly favor us with anonymous 

 queries, it may be proper to mildly hint that answers 

 may not be promptly forthcoming. It is not unreason- 

 able to assume that a gentleman would hardly expect an 

 answer to a query to which he i3 ashamed to affix his sig- 

 nature, or one which he values so lightly that he sends it 

 forth from vacuity, or even one which he is too tired to 

 sign. 



We are informed that Mr. Alfred F. L. Geddes, Ottawa, 

 Can., a well-known dog and poultry fancier, died on 

 Sept. 22, of appendicitis and tumor, at the age of 33 years. 

 He was conspicuous in show circles in Canada in an offi- 

 cial executive capacity, and judged both at poultry and 

 dog shows. In the dog world he was chiefly identified 

 J with cocker spaniels, though he has given attention to 

 • Irish setters, Irish terriers, black and tan terriers, beagles 

 ! and English setters. 



5 We are indebted to Mr. John G. Barker, San Francisco, 

 » Cal., for a portrait of his St. Bernard dog California Ber- 

 J nardo, a noted winner on the Pacific coast. 



As showing the spirit which some men have when 

 J .others win, the following excerpt is taken from a personal 



letter received from Mr. W. W. Titus: "I had hoped that 

 Minnie might be able to win the "Champion", but a letter 

 informs me that Nesbitt won it with Jingo. Well, hurrah 

 for Nesbitt and Jingo. I am certain they would not have 

 got it if they had not won it, and believing in the spirit 

 of doing to others as I would be done by, I am glad that 

 Nat won if I could not, which it seems I couldn't. I am 

 glad above all things that a pointer won, for I like fair 

 play and like to see the honors divided. I am above all 

 glad that Jingo won, because Mr. Dexter bred him, and 

 a fairer man never lived, nor a man who is better entitled 

 to all the honors the pointers are winning, for at great 

 expense he fought with them until he made the pointer 

 men regain confidence by his success, and saved them 

 from obscurity. Hurrah for Uncle Edward, say I; may his 

 shadow never grow less," 



We are informed that the arrangements attempted by 

 the New Jersey Kennel League for the holding of a bench 

 show at Newark this fall have fallen through, and that 

 therefore the League will not make any further attempt 

 toward holding a show this year. 



St. Cloud Kennels, Valley Stream, L. L, offer Irish 

 setters. Oak Grove Kennels, Moodus, Conn., offer Irish 

 and English setters and Chesapeake Bay clogs. Box 204, 

 Cookstown, Ont., offers beagle. Geo. Douglas, Wood- 

 stock, Ont., offers cockers. P Spahn, Bloomington, 111., 

 offers English setter. R-pnblican, Perth Amboy, N. J., 

 offers pointer. Rochdale Kennels, Newton. Mass., offers 

 fox-terriers. M. M. Lamb, Branchport, N. Y., offers 

 English setter. J. Curly, Fitchburg, Mass., offers coon 

 dog. Box 63, Cincinnati, O., offers broken setter and 



Jointer. Chas. E. Lewis, Niagara Falls, N. Y., offers 

 apanese spaniel. S. Berry, Brooklyn, N. Y., offers 

 broken pointers. J. H. Miller, Christiana, Pa., offers 

 rabbit dogs. 



Mr. W. Tallman, Plainfield, N. J., intends to go South 

 to train a string of dogs, some for competition in the 

 trials. He informs us that he desire3 three or four more 

 to train. Every one will be glad to welcome "Billy" back 

 to the guild. 



In respect to the purchase of a dog and the business 

 procedure necessary to observe in that relation, we 

 recently advised a correspondent to deposit the purchase 

 money with the express company which would have 

 charge of the carriage of the dog, and in the event of 

 the dog proving satisfactory the money would be paid 

 to the seller, otherwise the money would be returned 

 less the express charges. Our correspondent replied as 

 follows: "I thank you most kindly for your suggestions 

 about depositing money with express company. That's 

 what I have been doing all summer, but no one 

 seems to want to do business that way, for it is generally 

 the last I hear of it. I have been bit once and I have 

 had enough. If these people have what they claim, I can 

 see no reason why they should object." When an 

 owner will not ship "a dog on approval with all the pur- 

 chase money deposited for security, it is an excellent 

 juncture at which the would-be purchaser can stop all 

 negotiations. It is better to have loved a dog and lost him 

 by keeping one's money than never to have loved at all. 



Toronto Show. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I beg to call attention to an error in your report of the 

 Toronto dog show, when you state the judging was rather 

 late in commencing on Monday. This is not so, as our 

 advertised time was 3 o'clock, and the judging com- 

 menced sharp on time, in fact, we were ready at ten min- 

 utes before and I had to request Mr. Mortimer to wait till 

 time was up before starting. C. A. Stone, Sec'y. 



Mascoutah Kennel Club's Dates. 



Chicago, Sept. 28.— Editor Forest and Stream: We 

 have selected the dates March 10 to 13, 1896, for our next 

 bench show. John L. Lincoln, Sec'y. 



SHEYENNE VALLEY COURSING MEET. 



The first coursing meet of the fall circuit was held at Shel- 

 don, N. D., Sept. 24, 25 and 26, hy the young association of 

 greyhound lovers organized uuder the name of the Sheyenue 

 Valley Coursing Club. The meet was so pleasant and suc- 

 cessful that, it is fair to hope that another interesting fixture 

 has been established Of late the coursing scene has in some 

 measure shifted from Kansas to Dakota, or at least has in- 

 cluded Dakota. When one can, as is the case this fall, go to 

 Sheldon meet, then drop over to Aberdeen the following 

 week, and the week after go to Huron, all points not far 

 apart, he has more inducement to take a long journey for 

 himself and string of dogs than could exist at any one 

 meet, however good. The Sheyenne Valley Club has about 

 100 members of a hustling sort, and there is no reason to 

 suppose that they will rest contented with one meeting. On 

 the contrary, the greyhound idea is growing in Dakota, and 

 we may rat her expect more meetings than fewer. A club is 

 to be organized at Buffalo, near Casselton, N. D., and these 

 gentlemen hold a meet before another year has passed. 

 Perhaps next year will see a month of fall coursing in the 

 Dakotas. 



The Sheyenne Valley Club expected to fill a stake of 33 

 greyhounds, and offered on that basis a card of $312 to be 

 divided, $100 to be added to the filled stake, and $20 to be 

 added to a consolation stake for dogs thrown out in the first 

 round, the re-entry to be $2, the Ail- Age entry §5. Only 22 

 dogs were entered, however, so that the winner of first, in- 

 stead of taking -$104, drew down somewhat less. It was in- 

 tended to divide the purse, 40 and 25 per cent, for the first 

 and second, 12>£ per cent, each for third and fourth, the next 

 four dogs to divide balance equally, the club retaining 10 

 per ceut. for expenses out of all prizes". The scale followed 

 was similar to above, so that several dogs got a bit of the 

 purse. 



Sheldon is a typical and pleasant Dakota prairie town. 

 The country about is quite level, except for a ridge of sand 

 hills six or eight miles distant. The grounds are unlimited 

 and are ideal for coursing and riding, with the advantage 

 that the sport begins right at the edge of town, with no 

 tedious drive night and morning. In fact the best sport was 

 had quite near town, within two or three miles. The reason 

 for this is perhaps to be found in the face that the prairie 



chicken shooters of that region have formed the habit, per- 

 haps cruel and useless, of killing all the jack rabbits they 

 see, and naturally they do not hunt for the 

 chickens so close to town. It can not be said 

 that the hares were found in an abundance such as a 

 coursing meet demands, and this fact is the only thing 

 that marred the pleasure of the occasion. On several differ- 

 ent courses the slipper was obliged to tramp over t^vo hours 

 without a hare being started, and at times this made the 

 sport very dismal. Again, on two different days, n- j ar town, 

 a little strip of country was found near the crops, where the 

 jacks were started almost at will and a number of courses 

 rapidly run off. If the shooters who hunt out at Sheldon 

 will cease shooting jacks for one season, there need be not 

 the slightest fear that the supply will be abundant for next 

 year's meet. The hares seemed to be lying near the stubble 

 and were not found in numbers far out on the prairie lands. 



For work such as this the line of beaters needed to be well 

 ordered and careful, and this I am sure all the spectators 

 tried to be. It was the best natured and most orderly crowd 

 one has ever seen at an initial coursing meet, and next year 

 will be better yet. On the first day a couple of would-be 

 sports from Lisbon caused much annoyance by their drunken 

 uproariousness, but there was none of that thereafter. A 

 larger line of beaters would have been desirable, especially 

 on the third day. On that dty a terrific windstorm was in 

 progress, and it was so very cold and disagreeable that it is 

 a wonder any spectators at all came out. For the first two 

 days the weather was perfect — not chilly, but cool and over- 

 cast. 



The club was fortunate in securing the services of a good 

 judge and a good slipper. Mr. Wm Stephenson, of Traer, 

 Iowa, is a coursing judge and a son of a judge. He is a good 

 rider and has a level head, and can see both sides in a com- 

 petition, a very useful qualification for a judge With his 

 decisions there wa-i no fault found by any man aMe to see 

 both sides of the competition, and one has no criticism what- 

 ever to offer. If he always does so well, we have no better 

 judge in the saddle. As much, too, can be said for the 

 slipper, Jos. Dodd, of Far well, S. D., who has evidently been 

 with the greyhounds before. He was cool and laid his dogs 

 on well and deliberate!} , and above all wa9 able to do the 

 incessant walking after scarce hares, the hardest and 

 longest tramping one has ever seen asked of a slipper at a 

 coursing meet. Two hours and a half of rapid walking, 

 without seeing a hare, is rather heart-breaking work. 



Sheldon has good water and good society, which not all 

 Western towns can claim. Her people are above all kind 

 and hospitable, and visiting sportsmen are unanimous in 

 the wish to go there again The single hotel did not. accom- 

 modate many of the crowd, and private houses were called 

 into liberal requisition, an arrangement fouud very pleasant 

 by those so billeted. 



Quality of the Entry. 



It was impossible to help noting the improvement in grey- 

 hound quality the Sheldon entry showed over those of the 

 early meets of six or eight years ago. The Dakotas are full 

 of good greyhounds now, and of men who know what a 

 greyhound should be. Mr. A. P. Slocuin, of Oakes, N. D., 

 had in five dogs, how good the synopsis of the racing will 

 show. Mr. H. C. Waterhouse, of Lisbon, N. D., was on hand 

 with two. Mr R. Strachan with three. Dr. Van Hummel 

 three good loooking and good-running ones in, and Mr. Charl- 

 ton, handling for Mr. N. Whiting, of Minneapolis, had two 

 clinkers in Chartist and Miunehaha, the former belonging to 

 Mr. A. McElrath, of St. Louis, to whom Mr. Whiting re- 

 cently sold him. In Marello Dr. Aylen has a good hound 

 worth watching. 



The Club has Prospects. 



The Sheyenne Valley Club has good prospects. What with 

 its environments and its personnel, one would rather be- 

 stow a general praise, bub cannot help saying that the club 

 would be a success if it had only one man iu it, to wit, its 

 president, Dr. Jas. P. Aylen, who was all things and every- 

 where, always active and unruffled. Eich club needs such a 

 man, and is safe when it has him. For Mr, Waterhouse, 

 secretary, and all the members of the active committee, only 

 unqualified approval can be extended for their hard and un- 

 selhsh labors. Now if these gentlemen will only save their 

 jack rabbits by local exhortations, and if they will please 

 have their saud storm come one day later next year, it is 

 safe to say that Sheldon will hereafter rank in the front 

 among the coursing towns in every pleasant way. 



The Runnings. 



The drawing was as follows: 



Championship Stake. 



Marello, r. d. (Rendezvous— Roy's Canary) Dr. Jas. P. Aylen. 



Van Otjen, w. and br. d. (Lord Neversettle— Verdure 



Clad) Van Hummel. 



Crooked Jim, r. d. (Jim of the Hill— Roy's Canary) A. P. Slocum. 



Skip, b. and w. d. (Fitz Rowland— Fleetfoot) Robt. Strachan, 



Chit Chat, br. d. (Fitz Trife— Chatter) Dr. Van Hummel. 



Ravolt, bl. b. (Voltaire— Riven) A. P. Slocum. 



Chartist, r. d. (Glenkirk— Innocence) N. P. Whiting vs. for A. McElrath. 



Roy P., f. d. (Unknown) Lou Grange. 



Jack, w. d. (Unknown) Larry Voisen. 



Fritz Rowland, w. and r. d. (Lord Neversettle— Partera) .R. Strachan. 



Oake9, b. and w d. (Voltaire— Raven)., A. C. Waterhouse, 



Volucia, bl b. (Voltaire— Raven). ...A.. P. Slocum. 



Caliph, w. and b. (Voltaire -Raven) A. P. Slocum. 



Blizzard, r. d. (Unknown) Dr. Davis,. 



Lady Misterton, bl b (Millers Rob— Scandal) A. P. Slocum. 



Gip, w. and b d. (Fntz Rowland— Fleetfoot) R Strachan. 



Minnehaha, r. b. (Glenkirk— Innocence) ,N P. Whiting. 



Venture, b. b. (Voltaire— Kaven) A. P. Slocum. 



Rendezvous, w. and b d. (M<y Glendyne— Daisy Dublin) A. P. Slocum, 

 Revenue, blue b. (Rendezvous— Mayflower Queen).. H. C. Waterhouse, 



Flora, f. b. (Jim— Flo) Wm. McMurchee. 



Van Ollie, b. and w. b. (Gem of Season— Wild Rose) Dr. Van Hummel. 



First Series. 



Marello— Van Otjen.— Marello won handily. 



Crooked Jim — Skip. — The white collar showed ahead for 

 60yds. only, Jim winning after the best of exchanges in a 

 long course. No kill. 



Chit Chat— Ravolt.— An evenish course, with plenty of 

 scoring, but little speed asked of either. Chit Chat won. 



Chartist— Roy.— The Minneapolis dog, Chartist, was 

 quite too fast lor the unknown that wore the white collar. 

 The latter was small company in a long course over plow and 

 grass. No kill. Chartist won. 



Jack— Fritz Rowland —Jack shows much of the bull- 

 dog, and was called the "bulldog" as they went to slips. He 

 fought Fritz and bit him badly. They were led in singles. 

 Jack is a good killer and can perhaps get to a hare once in a 

 way, but he was not asked to do much in the short course 

 except to kill to Fritz's trip of the hare. Fritz Rowland 

 won 



Oakes— Volucia.— A long and pumping course over all 

 sorts of country, grass, plow and road, with plenty of work. 

 There was no kill, though two loose greyhounds joined in. 

 Each dog scored and exchanged, the staying power of Volu- 

 cia carrying her to the front at close. Volucia won. 



Caliph — Blizzard. — It was all Caliph, which did all and 

 killed in his stride handsomely in a brief course, showing 

 himself much a courser. Caliph won. 



Lady Misterton— Gip.— Lady Misterton was all the clev- 

 erer, and was at her hare all the time, Gip falling out of it 

 when placed. A long, hard course. No kill. 



Minnehaha— Venture.— These ran a red hot even course, 

 which was rightly given undecided. It was then toward 



