Jan. 10, Lmi] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



499 



April 9 to 12.— First Dog Show of the Worcester Kennel Club, at 

 Worcester. Mas-;. Edward W. Dovle, Secretary. 



April 9 to 12, 1889.— First Annual Dog Show of the Mascoutah 

 Kennel Club, at Chicago. 111. John L. Lincoln, Jr., Secretary. 



April 10 to 19, im- The Seventh Dor Show of the Philadelphia. 

 Kennel Club, at Philadelphia. Pa. Win. C. Child, Secretary. 



May 23 to 25.— Pacific kennel Club Show, San Francisco, Cal. 



FIELD TK.IALS. 



Jan. H, 1889.— Sixth Annual Field Trials of the Pacific Coast 

 Field Trial Club, at Bakersneld, CSJ. N. P. Sheldon, Secretary, 

 320 Snnsome street Sap Francisco, Cal. 



No a. L— Third Annual Field Trials of the Indiana Kennel Club. 

 P. T. Madison, Secretary, Indianapolis, Ind. 



Nov. 18.— Eleventh Annual Field Trials of the Eastern Field 

 Trials Club, at High Point. N. C. W. A. Coster, Secretary, Sara- 

 toga Springs, N. Y. 



A. K. R.-SPEClAL NOTICE. 



TP HE AMERICAN KENNEL REGISTER, for the registration 

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

 published every month. Entries close on the 1st. Should he 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 

 81.50. Address "American Kennel Register," P. O. Box 2832, New 

 York. Number of entries already printed 6850. 



THE CHESAPEAKE BAY RETRIEVER. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



A few clays ago I noticed a paragraph in your journal ask- 

 ing for further light ou the history and working ability of 

 the Chesapeake Bay dog. Since that time I have examined 

 your columns in vain for some extended article on the sub- 

 ject. My interest centered mainly in the origin of the breed, 

 for with the working abilities of the dog 1 years ago famil- 

 iarized 'myself, For quite a number of years I read every- 

 thing T could find and questioned every breeder I met rela- 

 tive to the origin of this dog, with somewhat unsatisfactory 

 results. 



There is a legend of a famous dog that came from the 

 northern seas and mated with an otter, resulting in progeny 

 having the form of a dog and the coat and water action of 

 the Liitra vulgaris; and possibly the peculiar under body 

 coat of the Chesapeake and his movement in swimming and 

 diving gave some color to the myth. But the query is, will 

 the dog and otter mate'' From the best data obtainable, and 

 quite plausible, it would seem that the origin of the present 

 specimen maybe, traceable to the following sources: About 

 seventy years ago there was bred about the head of Chesa- 

 peake Bay a large reddish brown dog uoted for his powers 

 as a duck retriever in water and among floating ice: and at 

 the beginning of the present century the breed was believed 

 to have been at quite an earlier date brought from Iceland 

 by a man named Harmon. Such is the tradition among 

 many families on the upper bay. 



Down the east coast of the estuary there exists a tradition, 

 passing into authentic history, to the effect that about the 

 year 1805 a gentleman named Law was aboard of a vessel 

 called the Canton, which encountered an English brigbouud 

 from Newfoundland to England, andin a sinking condition. 

 There were ou the foundered brig two puppies, male and 

 female, of either the Newfoundland or Labrador varieties. 

 The dog was a dingy brown color and the bitch black. The 

 dog puppy they named Sailor, and he subsequently came 

 into the possession of Gov. Lloyd, while the bitch was named 

 Canton, and became the property of Dr. Stewart, of Spar- 

 row's Point. Their progeny became known and noted on 

 both shores as the Sailor breed. It would seem then that at 

 '.he time of the advent of the latter variety there had existed 

 on the upper bay for years the breed above adverted to as of 

 Irish descent, so that the true origin seems to remain in 

 some obscurity; but may not the inter-breediug of the pro- 

 geny of Sailor and Canton with the older dog, which I 

 believe was known to some as the red Winchester dog, ac- 

 count for the diversity of type found in the present bay 

 retriever? 



In the May number of the Century Magazine of 1885 there 

 is a short article on the breed under discussion, with an en- 

 graving of a specimen of the retriever. This writer contends 

 that there were in reality two varieties, the long-coated and 

 smooth-coated. Many fanciers claim that there, should be 

 only two types. However, the writer in the Ceti Mi ry says he 

 should have a broad head, sharp nose, small bright eyes, and 

 small high-set ears, with a tigbtly-curled sedge-colored coat, 

 mild in disposition and very intelligent. I think heis f airly 

 correct, except as to coat,* that is' a mooted question. A 

 great many owners and some few breeders concede three 

 distinct types, which, while so diverse in appearance, pos- 

 sess in common indomitable duck retrieving powers as 

 well as instinct and ability to withstand ice cold water. 



While the origin of the dog will pass undoubtedly further 

 into obscurity as the years roll on, it becomes less a matter 

 of interest than the preservation of the few specimens of 

 grand working dogs we now possess. It would seem that 

 i he Chesapeake stood at the apoaee of fame and purity over 

 twenty-five years ago, that the stock has been permitted to 

 deteriorate in several localities, but that there are now suf- 

 ficient "good enough" dogs, and I may say superb ones, to 

 enable breeders to breed to a fair standard. 



So usually careful and accurate a writer as the author of 

 the "Sportsman's Gazetteer," describing the dog therein, 

 says, "His color is either black with white breast and gray 

 nose, or tawny yellow." "Generally he is fierce and the best 

 of watchdogs." etc. It is probably true that both black, and 

 black and white will occasionally show in some litters, but 

 I presume no wildfowler would care to have a black dog 

 around his blind, and white is not tolerated usually except 

 perhaps in snowfalls. Then as to temperament, I have gen- 

 erally found them kind and tractable, although there are 

 instances where in advanced age they become surly. They 

 are, indeed, good watchdogs, and will faithfully guard their 

 master's property under perilous conditions, defending 

 against man and beast. Tbe-y usually mind their own busi- 

 ness and stay at home, and will not eagerly seek a row with 

 another dog! but when once in a scrimmage they manage to 

 take care of themselves. No doubt their temper is largely 

 influenced by the mode of life meted out to them; still, i 

 would trust their generosity sooner than I would a pointer 

 under like conditions. At page 434 of the above-mentioned 

 "Gazetteer" are quoted the standards formulated by the 

 Maryland Fau tiers' Association, dividing the dog into three 

 classes, as follows: "First, the setter dog; second, the curly- 

 haired dog: third, the straight-haired dog. The color of the 

 first class is a tawny sedge, with very short hair. The color 

 of the second class is a red brown. The color of the third 

 class is a red brown. The bitches must show the color and 

 approximate to the general points of the class to which they 

 belong. In the three classes a white spot on the breast is 

 not unusual. Measurements as follows: From fore toe to 

 top of back, 35in ; from tip of nose to base of head, 10in,; 

 breast, Oin.; around forefeet, 6in.; around forearm below 

 shoulder, tin.; between eyes, 2J£in.; length of ears, oin.; from 

 base of head to root of tail, 35in.; tail, 16in. in length; around 

 muzzle below eves, lOin." 



Several years'ago, and I think it was during the winter of 

 1877, and while a bench show was in progress at Baltimore, 

 several gentlemen, admirers of the Chesapeake dog, held a 

 convention at one of the hotels in the above mentioned city 

 for the purpose of discussing the origin and classifying as 

 well as forming a standard for this dog lam inclined to 

 believe the quotation in the "Gazetteer" is from the minutes 

 of this, meeting, as they are m similar. Tiiecu were three 

 Chesapeakes on exhibition there at the time, and they were 



large and powerful animals, weighing respectively: Rob, 6 

 years old. 90lbs.; Monday, 5 years old, 891bs., and* Turk, 18 

 months old, just over 791bs. The committee, I am informed, 

 approximated the weight and measurement of the three dogs 

 and adopted a standard accordingly, requiring two-year old 

 dogs of each class to weigh not less than fc'Olbs., and bitches 

 651bs, of same age. This was a pretty fair start, yet some 

 people are curious enough to wonder how vou can fit the 

 standard to the three types if you desire to breed to perfec- 

 tion in each. We have to-day several line dogs that may be 

 considered proper to breed from, falling short of the fore- 

 going scale, therefore as several years have elapsed since 

 that maiden effort., and as the Mississippi Valley is devoting 

 considerable attention to the rearing of this grand duck dog, 

 cannot the wise ones get together and tinker up the old 

 scale ami formulate a new standard adapted to the different 

 Strains? A tew years ago I believe the American Kennel 

 Club appointed a, committee to examine into the merits and 

 demerits of the Bay dog and report a proper standard. Such 

 a standard was formed in part, but I do uot recollect that it 

 was adopted. 



It has been my pleasure to work with the short and the 

 rough-coated dogs, and I confess that in point of ability each 

 partisan stands on good defensible grounds. There may be 

 some choice when the shooting is done in a section abound- 

 ing in burrs, as the short-haired animal will not get so badly 

 stuck up as his long or curly-coated compeers. I have also 

 heard a stickler for fine reasoning assert that the shorter 

 coated animal moves through the water with less resistance 

 However, Ave know the. lesson taught by the pointer and 

 setter. The former gets along better among burrs, but the 

 setter goes through thorns and briers with less injury. 



In point of color, sedge or dead grass is preferred for sev- 

 eral reasons obvious to the reader who shoots ducks, but 

 solid sedge is rare and accordingly prized. That the Chesa- 

 peake has a nose is patent to one who has seen him work. 

 Let a duck hide on the opposite side of a clump or ridge of 

 grass shutting out a view, and then you will note how that 

 unerring nose pilots your dog to the game. 



The Chesapeake, while still in the period of early puppy- 

 hood, takes naturally, or shall we say instinctively, to 

 retrieving ducks, but some special training must be given 

 him to cause perfect retrieving to your hand, Then, again, 

 this breed seems to require, instruction in retrieving other 

 feathered game, such as plover, snipe and rail. It is not a 

 bad plan to give him good yard instruction, teaching your 

 pup to "down" or "charge," to "ho," to hide, hold up.' and 

 to "sneak" or crawl through cover, and of course to bring 

 and carry for you. He will learn even quicker than your 

 silky-haired setter, and when you have taught him every- 

 thing you can think of andheb'eeomes an accomplished dos, 

 and I believe the more a dog is taught the wider become his 

 reasoning and perceptive, faculties, then you will pat that 

 faded looking coat and swear he is a darling. And when 

 you watch him, lying hidden in the wild rice, or beside you 

 in the blind, the tip of his brown nose just visible as he 

 keeps a sharp lookout for ducks, sometimes directing your 

 attention to a stray incomer you have not seen, you will say 

 he is the best companion you ever had; but when you see 

 him at the. command dash through icy cold water, clamber- 

 ing over and diving under driftwood and cakes of ice, after 

 a winged duck, and when after a chase of a mile he gets her, 

 and breasting the billows and current back places her in 

 yoiir hand so tenderly that not a feather is toru, gives him- 

 self a shake, but not close enough to wet you. ready for 

 another plunge, then may you know him for the hero he is. 

 Again, let off both barrels into a flock of flyers and tell him 

 to "fetch 'em in." Mark his sagacity. He passes the dead 

 ones, those sorely wounded, and goes straight for some crip- 

 ple that is trying desperately to get away, and she has got to 

 leave the water to escape him. If she dives, down he goes 

 after her. So on, one by one, he brings them in, the dead 

 ones nearest at hand last. Oftentimes iu the baste and 

 excitement of retrieving a half dozen or more ducks, he 

 may neglect to place the dead ones in your hand, but bring- 

 ing them to shore leave them and plunge in again. This 

 maybe reasoning, or an inherited quality, but if he is a 

 thoroughbred, properly handled, he will bring the wounded 

 to you, and after the batch has been secured he will fetch up 

 the pile deposited on the shore. 



There are some people cold blooded enough to say be is 

 not handsome. Well, measured by the lithe shape of the 

 greyhound, on the lovely low form of the field spaniel who 

 may be fashionably black or brown and white, perhaps not. 

 The standard of beauty and merit do not always coiucide. 

 Among equines look back at Flora Temple and American 

 Girl, were they beauties except from a horsemen's .stand- 

 point* Well then, the Chesapeake with his sturdy compact 

 body, bones and muscular leas and a coat which may some- 

 times look like a well worn old buffalo robe, miglit£not be 

 pleasing to Hogarth and may not be exactly Titianesque in 

 coloring, but all the same to my eyes he is pleasing; his in- 

 telligence, fidelity, courage, adaptability to his work make 

 him "handsome is as handsome does." His outline at all 

 points is good and he is a dog to command attention any 

 where. Many claim the cocker to be an all-around dog. 

 Well, he will put up grouse and woodcock, run a rabbit track 

 and retrieve small birds and is a grand, sparkling little fel- 

 low, yet what he will do on a small scale the Chesapeake 

 will do on a larger one with training. But this is not gener- 

 ally to his credit, and he had better remain what he is 

 naturally, the grandest duck dog extant. 



A fair specimen of a Chesapeake may be of either ty pe, 

 solid sedge or faded brown with thick Inbody coat of fur 

 impervious to water, standing about 23>2'in. at shoulder, pos- 

 sibly the rough coated would stand a little taller, and 

 weighing not to exceed 75 or 801bs. A large dog, while per- 

 haps stronger though clumsier, tires sooner and is some- 

 what in the way in a blind or sueakbox. • 



I never knew of a cross with this dog and the spaniel, or a 

 cross with the setter, but what the peculiarities of the coat 

 were diminished. H owever, my experience in breeding goes 

 but for little beyond specific cases of observation. Some 

 fowlers cross the water spaniel with the setter, or the latter 

 with the Newfoundland, and think they will get a good 

 retriever as well as a dog for use in upland shooting. While 

 there may be a few instances of a resulting go®d dog, the 

 practice is reprehensible, as it destroys a distinct breed, two 

 m fact, with very doubtful results. Fellow duck hunters, 

 stick to the Chesapeake, don't dilute bis blood, but use bim 

 well, and he will make you swear by him and not at him. 



While he is a dog full of what we temi "sand," yet his 

 training when a puppy should be mild and devoid of harsh- 

 ness. There will be pups of inferior quality in some litters, 

 as you will find in the most cherished strain's of pointers and 

 setters, and it does not always follow that the sire and dam 

 will transmit their rare qualities to every puppy, particu- 

 larly iu a large litter. Magnificent specimens have been 

 bred at Maxwell's Point and the ducking shores near Perry - 

 man's on the Chesapeake and can still be found there, as well 

 as at other ducking shores on the bay. Also some fine dogs 

 are being raised iu Iowa and Wisconsin. Pages could be 

 written tilled with anecdotes of this retriever. He is incom- 

 parable as a duck dog, and thesight of au old shooting coat, 

 gun or boat will drive him into ecstacy and excitement 

 enough to please the most exacting, and when once you 

 know hitn you will discard the handsome though strongly 

 perfumed water spaniel, and the brave though unreliable 

 Newfoundland when the wind and sleet stiffen your beard 

 and the icy water chills the blood iu ordinary man and dog- 

 hood. He will prove a source of pleasure to your childreu, 

 a domestic and cleanly dog around the house, a terror to 

 chicken thieves, a protector for your wife, an autocrat 

 among dogs and a Mend who will never desert you. 



Caytjga. 



SALISBURY'S PEDIGREE. 



Editor Forest and Stream. 



The bubble has bm-st and the Chicago editor and his Fleet 

 street employee stand couvh ted of having circulated as 

 vicious and malicious a falsehood as was ever conceived. I 

 told your readers in your issue of Dec. <> that there would be 

 some dirty linen to be washed before I got through with this 

 ease. The evidence that I required to convict these fellows 

 was the catalogues of shows held in 1878 aud 1819. 1 knew 

 that Carr had entered Salisbury at a number of shows with 

 the pedigree he gave with the dog when he sold him to me; 

 but it was not an easy matter to procure catalogues of shows 

 held ten and eleven years ago, and for these I was compelled 

 to send to England, 



The enterprising Stock-Keeper, which is always ahead 

 with every iota of news pertaining to dogs and kennel mat- 

 ters, stole a march on me and exposed the whole business, 

 thereby to a certain exteut depriving me of the pleasure I 

 anticipated iu exposing the crooked doing of the Chicago 

 manipulator. Mr. H., alias "Our SpeciarCommissioner," 

 must be linked with his employer in this fraud until be 

 shall have openly confessed having been made a tool of. In 

 justice to this Mr. H. I will say that I have recently received 

 a letter from an influential dog man assuring me that from 

 what he knows of him "he is altogether too decent a fellow 

 to train with the R. gang." 



The Stock-Keeper tacitly indorses my statement that Mr. 

 H. is uot a dog man and evidently knows nothing about 

 pedigrees. One need only read his articles to discover the 

 truth of this. His dog show reports display on the face of 

 them the same superficial knowledge that is so conspicuously 

 prominent in the writiugs of other inexperienced reporters for 

 the same sheet. He evidently was nut up to do the dirty work 

 for the cloven-hoofed Chicago editor; and having allowed 

 himself to be used as a catspaw. hemustbeara portion of the 

 censure that will be piled outbe bead of the "gang." It is 

 not improbable that "grandmother" W. K. T. aud the 

 Chicago clown together concocted the story an den gaged Mr. 

 H. to incorporate it iu his English notes. A man like Mr. 

 H., who was unknown in the days when Salisbury beat W. 

 K. T.'s undersized, bad-loined, brindle ringtail, and was 

 not on hand to gather up the many tears that were shed at 

 bonnie Dundee, 1879, might be easily duped by a cunning 

 and unscrupulous fellow like the Chicago Doctor. Future 

 events will show whether Mr. H. is or is not "too decent a 

 fellow to train with the R. gang." If he is a self-respecting 

 person he will clear himself of suspicion, even if he do so at 

 the expense (?) of forfeiting his unenviable position of 

 "Special Commissioner" for a person whose character, repu- 

 tation and knowledge of dogs are all on the same footing. 

 In its issue of Dec. 21 the Stock-Keeper thus exposes the 

 vicious libel, which may be heard of again: 



"We publish this week a serious letter from Mr. Wade, in 

 reference to the pedigree of the mastiff Salisbury. The 

 charge to which our American contemporary has given cur- 

 rency is malicious and false. Mr. Mason has already, in 

 suitable and indignant language, replied to the damaging 

 accusation that has been launched against his character. 

 That Mr. Mason would deliberately concoct a pedigree is an 

 idea too improbable for a second thought. To do such a 

 thing he must be a rogue and a fool; but his public actions 

 emphatically prove him to be neither. The charge amounts 

 to this: that a man named Carr sold Mr. Mason a mastiff 

 (Salisbury), which he said had no pedigree. When the fol- 

 lowing number of the Kennel Club Stud Book was compiled 

 an entrv was found, signed by Mr. Mason, giving Salisbury 

 the pedigree he still stands credited with. The insinuation is 

 that Mr. Mason concocted this pedigree. Now let us turn 

 the light of reason and facts on this dark charge. At the 

 Birmingham show, in 1879, Mr. Thomas Carr, of 24 Hanover 

 street, Keighley, entered a mastiff named Leo with these 

 particulars and with this pedigree: 'Age two years and one 

 month; by Monarch — Duchess; Monarch by Lion — Empress; 

 Duchess by Exley's Victor— Beldam ; winner of thirteen first 

 prizes, five extra with cups, and two second prizes; £500.' 

 To this is added in the catalogue: 'Not sent. Sold.' Now, 

 this Leo is the same flog that was afterward named Salis- 

 bury and purchased by Mr. Mason. He is here entered by 

 Carr himself with the very pedigree that Mr. Mason is sup- 

 posed to have vamped. How, then, could Carr decline to 

 give a pedigree when Mr. Mason bought Salisbury, seeing 

 that it already stood in print iu the Birmingham catalogue? 

 Thus the evidence of one fact rattles down the whole erection 

 of slander which was based on— what? That is the question 

 we now put and wait a reply. It is more than a pity— it is a 

 scandal— that the reputation of public men should be ex- 

 posed to these groundless attacks; it is disgraceful to all 

 concerned that a man's character has beeu assailed in this 

 vindictive manner before all available evidence had been 

 carefully examined. We are certain that the correspondent 

 who is credited with the authorship of this charge is but the 

 puppet in the hands of somebody. The correspondent's 

 acquaintance with mastiff history is too recent to enable, 

 him to state such a case out of his own knowledge. He has, 

 no doubt, written upon information received, aud in the 

 name of fair play we call upon his authority to disclose him- 

 self or know that all men call him coward. More than that, 

 if the correspondent is now convinced of the falseness of the 

 charge he has formulated, it is his duty as an honest man to 

 give up his informant's name for public contempt." 



Chas. H. Masojt. 



NEW ENGLAND FOX HUNTING. 



Editor Forest and Streow : 



I am inclined to side with your correspondent "Tallvho" 

 in his strictures on fox hunting as conducted by the West- 

 ern Massachusetts Fox Club, though I will not offend them 

 by characterizing their pastime as indecent and uumanly. 

 Their practice of shooting foxes ahead of hounds seems 

 hardly compatible with that manly and generous spirit of 

 fair play which it is the duty and delight of all good sports- 

 men to encourage. 



One plea urged in favor of this rather doubtful sport, 

 namely, that a fox running the gauntlet of expectant guns 

 has a better chance for his life than when pursued by a pack 

 of hounds, is untenable. The hunt above referred to killed 

 seven foxes in one day. Except in cub hunting one never 

 hears of a pack of hounds accounting for anything like so 

 many in that space of time. 



1 am informed that large portions of Massachusetts are 

 totally unfitted for fox hunting proper, as ridiug to hounds 

 would be out of the question, but that there is lots of coun- 

 try in the Connecticut Valley where the fox could be hunted 

 in the usual way. In view of this, it seems to me that the 

 Western Massachusetts Fox Club have no excuse for the 

 shotgun method, which is, at the best, a slow and beggarly 

 kind of hunting. WEYMOUTH. 



Denvek, Jan. 1. 



THE COLUMBUS DOG SHOW.— We have received the 

 premium list of the first annual exhibition of the Columbus 

 Fanciers' Club to be held at Columbus, O., Feb. 5 to 8. In 

 the dog department the challenge prizes are $10, with $10 

 and 85 in the important open classes and $8 and $4 in a few 

 of the minor classes. There are ten cash specials of 85 each, 

 eight of $10 and one of $20. In addition to these a largo 

 number of valuable specials are offered. Mr. John David- 

 son will judge the sporting and Mr. H. Goodman the non- 

 sporting classes. The dogs will be benched and fed by 

 Spratts Patent. Entries close Jan. 25. Th- a- dress of the 

 Secretary is Dr. Taos. R. Sparrow, Columbus, O. 



