0«T. 3, 1889.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



£09 



THE GORDON SETTER CLUB. 



ST. LOUIS, Mo., Sept. 26.— Editor Forest and Stream: In 

 your issue of Sept. 19 appeared an article by Dr. J. H. 

 Meyer on the mode and manner of the election of officers for 

 the American Gordou Setter Club, in which he says that sev- 

 eral members object to the election. If be bad said simply 

 that be personally disapproved of it, the remark would have 

 been less open to criticism. 



_ In looking over the constitution of the A. G-. S. C. I fail to 

 find any basis for the angry carpiugs iu Dr. Meyer's letter. 

 What his object is I am at a loss co know. If Dr. Meyer is, 

 as he says, working for the interest of the club, and if 

 everything is not just the way he would like it to be, I 

 think his proper course would be to endeavor to wiu a 

 majority to Bis views, and endeavor to secure the ueeded 

 reforms by harmonious action. Dr. Meyer says the laws 

 and constitution are deficient. What nonsense". It would 

 be one of the wonders of this world if all should be right at 

 the beginning, [f Dr. Meyer bad written on this question 

 months ago, and showed the. members where the lawsneeded 

 mending, every member would have been willing to make 

 any change or correction for the benefit of our club and 

 dogs. 



With regard to Dr. Malcolm's letter advising our Gordon 

 men not to run their dogs, I heartily agree with him; so do 

 the balance of the Gordou men of St. Louis. And if Dr. 

 Meyer is so anxious to run bis Gordons, why not enter them 

 and run against other breeds? The Gordon Club and its 

 members do not wish to clash against each other, but will 

 continue to work together and keep their dogs at home uutil 

 the field trials of this country are no longer controlled by 

 Llewellyn men. 



When all dogs shall run as they are drawn, and all classes 

 be doue away with, and a judge be appointed for each breed 

 las Mr..Eustace says) then, and not until then, will the 

 Gordons become, field trial rnuners. Try your Gordons with 

 other setters and never mind any one else in the club; it is 

 no one's business but your own. A word about proxy. I 

 have in my mind an institution that represents hundreds 

 and thousands of dollars, and all the officers are elected by 

 proxies sent to the secretary. If all the, members of our 

 G. S. C. lived iu New York city, i would say do away with 

 proxy voting. I will say I have requested our secretary, Mr. 

 Norris, to save all the votes by proxy and have them put in 

 a package and sealed up, so that any member can examine 

 them and see if the members' proper signatures are signed. 

 I love free elections, and that is the only way to protect the 

 ballot-box with us. I think Dr. Meyer will agree with me 

 on this point. 



Dr. Meyer says that sections three and nine conflict. They 

 can easily be righted without destroying the whole fabric, 

 and yet be wanted to postpone the meeting for sixty days, 

 after he had had twelve months to look this matter up. If 

 he remembers right our last election was in the beginning 

 of July, 18SS. 



It reminds me of the party out*of office; they always cry 

 for a radical change in the office-holders, as the old officers 

 have done nothing. Only Dr. Meyer credits the office hold- 

 ers of the club with having retarded the growth of our 

 organization. 



Now, Mr. Editor, let us see what has been done by Mr. 

 Malcolm and the members of our Gordon Club. In the 

 first place there was no G. S. C. Mr. Malcolm wrote to all 

 our sporting papers, who very kindly published all he 

 wrote to the several owners of Gordons recommending that 

 a Gordon club should be formed, mentioning the names of 

 Queen Bess and Royal Duke as a stopping point. Then 

 came the tug-of-war. Mr. Meyer at that time was not with 

 us, as Mr. Morris had not sold him his Beaumont. 



Now, 1 do not intend to be personal, as that shows bad 

 breeding. A great many of our sportsmen rushed into 

 print with grape and cannister at what Malcolm had writ- 

 ten, and some that had nothing to do with the formation of 

 the Gordon club at all, as they did neither own one, nor 

 would own one at any figure. Now, mark what follows: a 

 club is formed and admitted in the A. K. C, a Gordon class 

 is obtained, and a standard for Gordons adopted, and in 

 spite of the opposition we encountered, we gave a $25 silver 

 cup at the Richmond show, open to all, members or not. 

 Air. Baillie, a non-member, got the award for the. best Gor- 

 don; Malcolm was the judge. We also gave §30 to the Syra- 

 cuse show. What more could a young club do? I do not 

 know of any other club doing as much in the first year of 

 its existence. I would say let the club go on smoothly, it is 

 now plain sailing, the hard work is done, all difficulties 

 have been overcome, and nothing left now for us to do but 

 pay our dues, and donate some, if needed, for the coming 

 shows. St. Louis members indorse the action of Mr. Ben- 

 nttt, Mr. Norris and Mr, Malcolm by voting the ticket got 

 up by them. 



It may appear to Dr. Meyer that I am writing this be- 

 cause my name is on the ticket, but no, I am writing for 

 the benefit of our club. I do not see the expediency of any 

 member making his troubles known to the public. If a 

 wrong exists, the club and not the press should be called on 

 to remedy it. 



I fail to see any possible good results from Dr. Mever's 

 letter in all our sporting journals. I know that either Mr. 

 Norris or Mr. Malcolm will give Dr. Meyer all the informa- 

 tion at his command. They may have been a little slow to 

 inform Dr. Meyer and this may Seem to be a good excuse for 

 his rushing into print. In looking over his letter I find it just 

 eight days between dates (I only take figures). That is be- 

 tween his asking Mr. Norris and his publication of the 

 action of our president. I cannot see where the clique and 

 the desire to perpetuate their term of office comes in. Is 

 there any emolument, or what benefits do the president or 

 any of the officers get for work? Of course hard work is 

 done, those in office, I mean the president, secretary and 

 treasurer, did it. if any member will write to me saying he 

 would like to be on the ticket in my place. I will gladly 

 give him my place by resigning in his favor with the best of 

 feeling toward him. Now, do not be backward, brothers, 

 you know a faint heart never won a fair lady. And another 

 thing, it shall not be made public, for the public have 

 nothing to do with our affairs, except when we donate 

 something open to all, as we did at Richmond and Syracuse 

 shows. 



Look at the condition of affairs impartially and I think 

 you will find every officer has been true to his trust. The 

 man that must be at the head of our club for one more year 

 is what other writers call the champion of the Gordons. 

 The ti me is not far distant when any man can be our presi- 

 dent, that is, if be is a member and owns a Gordon. 



The sporting journals of this couutry know that in our 

 fight to form a club and secure recognition of the American 

 Kennel Club, I never rau down any man's dogs, or any strain 

 of the Gordon type. I refer you to my letter published in 

 our journals in the first week of December, 1888. 



I think the proper way to settle such points as those 

 raised by Dr. Meyer is for each member to give his ideas 

 about the necessary changes in proper form to the commit- 

 tee, for them to act on. And when a majority of the com- 

 mittee agrees, let them send a copy of their proposals to 

 each member for approval, yes or no. I do not mean as my 

 friend Meyer has done, send them to the press, but send 

 them by mail, with instructions to return them at once to 

 secretary. They should then be kept on file until a regular 

 meeting of the club can be had at some point away from 

 New York, as some members live in California. 



I am at a loss to know where the club has not been pro- 

 gressive both iu character and firm to its principles. lam 

 surprised to see a letter from Dr. Meyer condemning the 

 club and its president. When Dr. Meyer has done as much 



for the Gordon as the president has done, then and not till 

 then can such a letter be justified. A word about our stan- 

 dard: It is adopted, and those that own Gordons had better 

 breed up to it, for the nearer they come to it, the better will 

 be their Rtock, in the estimation of our judges who have the 

 prizes to award. 



I hope that after this, all members will transact their 

 affairs with the secretary, and not rush into print and get 

 up controversies that no'gond comes from. Any one wish- 

 ing to write me will have courteous attention. 



Sr. Louis, Mo. J. WHITAKER, M. D. 



MASTIFF TOE NAILS. 



Editor Forest mid Stream 



A year or so since I was visiting Mr. R. A. Craig and we 

 were immensely amused at some mastiff correspondence, 

 wherein the writer was deploring that "this" dog of his 

 had so many white toe nails on tins foot and so many on 

 another, saying that "that" dog had all black toenails, and 

 giving a decided preference to "that" on account of this 

 point of perfection. If 1 remember aright, Mr. Craig or I 

 knew both dogs and knew that the solid black nailed one 

 was a rank duffer and the white blemished one. a tolerably 

 fair specimen. Anyhow we were vastly amused at it and 

 wondered what iu thunder the loony was driving at. And 

 when we compared notes neither could say whether any dog 

 owned by either had white toenails or all black, nor did 

 either remember anything on the subject concerning any 

 dog we e ver saw or heard of, and it got to be a sort of a 

 joke between us, "all white nails," or "no white toe nails." 



But recently I received a letter from a gentleman who 

 was evidently no "loony." but a man of sense and judg- 

 ment, deploring that his dog, very well bred on both sides, 

 had so many white toe nails on one foot, and asking if it 

 was evidence of any impurity of blood, and whether I 

 knew of any champion that had white toe nails. The tone 

 of this letter, so far above being laughed at, set me to 

 thinking where such an idea could come from, and I 

 finally investigated the. standard of the old English Mas- 

 tiff Club, and to my surprise found it there set down "Toe 

 nails black." Of course I replied to the writer that the 

 color of the" nails was of absolutely no significance as to 

 the animal's blood, that 1 didn't believe that one mastiff 

 breeder out of ten ever noticed the toe nails, and that a 

 judge who would set a good specimen back on account of 

 this point would be howled out of the ring. Whether I told 

 him that a majority of the brindle dogs of Lukey's had even 

 white blazed faces, and that Wolsey, the .great crack of his 

 day, had white toes and as a consequence would have white 

 toe nails, I do not now remember, but such was certainly 

 the fact. Certainly I never knew a dark brindle or dark 

 fawn that did not have some white on his toes, and gener- 

 ally a white spot on the breast; and iu a litter where there 

 are some pups much darker in mask and ears than the 

 others, white markings are very common. From memory 

 only, I would say that this is the case in a vast majority of 

 instances. Photographs are rather unreliable in' such a 

 matter as this, but from a careful examination I would say 

 that the English mastiffs Orlando, Duchess (2,366), Hah- 

 bury's Queen (dam of Nichol's Prince and Wolsey), Beau, 

 Ilford Baroness, The Lady Rowena, Jack Thyr and Ilford 

 Cromwell all have (or had) white toe nails, and several of 

 the most distinguished of them had white toes and white 

 breasts as well. Reine, that fine bitch that Dr. Perry im- 

 ported, had a white blaze running nearly the whole length 

 of the leg; Wynn's champion Peeress, the best mastiff he 

 ever bred, had a white blaze down her face, or if not a dis- 

 tinct white, it was of so much lighter shade of fawn as to 

 amount to white. Mr. Kingdon and Mr. Wynn had a grand 

 encounter iu Webb, but agreed on one point, that color was 

 the very last point to be considered in a mastiff; and this is 

 set forth in every standard that was ever drawn up. 



Now, I am a great stickler for conforming to the require- 

 ments of established standards, and if I were judging mas- 

 tiffs in England, or if judging here, I attached sufficient im- 

 portance to "The Clique Club No. 1 of America" to heed 

 any of its sayings or doings , I would put evevy white-toed 

 dog back, were it Lady Coleus herself. Of course it would 

 raise, a howl and would be bad judging in itself, but when 

 a specialist club enacts specific, requirements it should not 

 complain if taken at its word and its ideal realized by the 

 judge. I have no doubt that the point of "toe nails black" 

 was put in the English standard without intending it to 

 carry any weight, just as a suggestion or preference, but as 

 stated it is as obligatory as the broad short head or anv 

 other desideratum. Now, as elucidating this point I would 

 like such judges as Messrs. Mason, Naylor, Watson, May- 

 hew, Marshall and Mortimer to say whether they ever took 

 this into consideration. I can imagine how several of these 

 gentlemen will laugh at the question being put to them, but 

 would ask them to remember that many new adventurers 

 at mastiffs have been worried at finding their dog thus 

 "disfigured," and the expressed opinion of known judges 

 will (or should) settle their worries and extinguish their 

 doubts. 



This curious outcome of "standard" requirements illus- 

 trates the value of a scale of points, not to guide the judge 

 in "point judging," but to attach definite and comparative 

 values to the various points of the standard. Had the O. 

 B. M. Club standard been accompanied by a scale of points 

 rating black toe nails at 1 and head properties at about 40, 

 anybody could have extracted a clear idea of the sigifi- 

 cance of the two, and questions of "purity of blood" would 

 never suggest themselves in consequence of the white toes 

 or toe nails. W. WADE. 



Hulton, Pa. 



EASTERN COURSING CLUB. 



AT a meeting held Sept. 16, 1889, Mr. W. J. Blackham, 

 1\. president, in the chair, on request of the president, Mr. 

 Huntington, chairman of the committee on grounds, hares, 

 etc. (appointed with power to act), reported as follows: 

 "After examining several large plots of ground on Long 

 Island to be used by the club as a preserve for the hares, one 

 was selected and secured as being eminently suitable for the 

 purpose. Privilege was obtained from lessor to course over 

 his entire property and that of his neighbors. The commit- 

 tee has further to report that the club has now 20 hares on 

 hand and 20 more are to be delivered Oct. 1, making 40 in 

 all. They are all strong and healthy. The wire netting 

 used for the inclosure is of the very best quality, and gal- 

 vanized. The number of hares can be increased if the club 

 desires it." The committee was then discharged with 

 thanks. 



It was moved and seconded that bv this provision of com- 

 mittee on grounds, etc., the club should hold its meeting 

 beginning either on the 6th or 15th of November, 1889, at 

 which time prizes of money and plate will be offered. 

 There will be two stakes, one a 16-dog (puppy) stake and the 

 other a 16 or 32 dog (all-aged i stake, trials to be run under 

 rules of American Coursing Club. The Executive Commit- 

 tee expressed the hope that each member of the club would 

 enter at least one dog in the stakes. 



H. W. Htjxtington, Secretarv. 



The Tkacy Artotyfss.— £an Francisco, Sept. Forest and 

 Stream Put). Co.: Please accept my thanks for the prompt de- 

 livery of the four Tracy artotj pes. I am much pleased with tbem 

 and can fully indorse all you have claimed for them and consider 

 them a most welcome addition to my list of sporting pictures. 

 Very truly yours, S, L. Abbot, Jb., 



AN ALL-ROUND DOC. 



Editor Forest a-rul Stream: 



Tn one of the late issues of this journal "Novice" asked 

 for information in regard to training a beagle puppy and as 

 to an "all-round bird dog." The Kennel editor' supple- 

 mented his question with a request for contributions on 

 these subjects. 



Since then Mr. A. C. Krueger has responded as regards 

 training the beagle nuppv, but I have failed to see any an- 

 swer to the remainder of the nuestion, at which T am not 

 surprised, as it is a, vexed question. However, I should like 

 to relate the story of a dog which came as near to the above 

 requirements as we usually find them. His owner was 

 what is popularly known in the country where he resides as 

 a swam)) angel. How he came into possession of the dog 

 mav be thought but not mentioned. 



My idea on first seeing the dog was that he was of the 

 Chesapeake Bay breed, but I wondered how his owner had 

 got possession of such an apparently well-bred dog of that 

 breed. A later inquiry, however, as to manner of possession 

 and breeding confirmed my first conclusion. 



He bad two of the qualities which al ways gn with that 

 breed— intelligence and affection— especially well marked, 

 and as to his sporting qualities, I fear my pen will fail to 

 give him his deserts. He would retrieve anvbird or animal 

 you might kill, that he could lift, from anywhere. This, of 

 course, was a necessary quality as a duck dog, and he had 

 all thp others. 



Used as a flush er he was a first-class woodcock dog, and 

 for partridge (ruffed grouse) he was excellent, as he would 

 work iu a half circle in front of the shooter, sending nearly 

 all birds in when flushed and promptly treeing those which 

 were missed, a very necessary requisite in that country. I 

 may be permitted to say that mv experience with partridges 

 in trees has led me to the conclusion that if a partridge 

 "trees." shoot him there before be gets a chance to put not 

 only that tree, but several others between vou and him, for 

 if he flushes from a tree the odds are one hundred to one in 

 bis favor, and that is several more than 1 can afford to give. 

 To return to the dog, he would run rabbits and give tongut 

 freelv, whilp he was as good a still runner on coons as on* 

 could wish for. Also, when he was after coons he never 

 would run a rabbit track, as many dogs are wont to do. 

 Numerous minks and very manvmuskrats owe their sudden 

 demise to his unerring scent and cruel teeth. I owned this 

 (-log once for about two hours, having traded a breechload- 

 iutr rifle, a very fair pointer dog, and a few shekels to boot 

 for him, but in the short space of time above mentioned his 

 former owner appeared and wished to "trade back," as he 

 said. I objected at first, but on second thought, and know- 

 ing the party's reputation, I thought that T would rather 

 have my dog. rifle and money than to have the "angels" 

 come by night and take the other dog, forgetting the while 

 to return my chattels which were given in exchange for him. 

 So after the "angel," very generously for him, granted me the 

 privilege of using said dog at anv time. I gave him up and 

 received mv property in return. It is needless to relate that 

 I borrowed him many times, and I would that I owned one 

 exactly similar to him to-day. Osceola. 



THE TRUE USES OF A STUD BOOK, 



Editor Forest and, Stream: 



There is a controversy going on between Messr«. Peshall, 

 Hopf and Shotwell on one side, and so far Mr. Anthony on 

 the other, the subject being the Stud Book of the .America! 

 Kennel Club. In this I do not propose to engage just now. 

 Tbidpmytime. But there is aside issue raised between 

 Mr. Peshall and Mr. Anthony as to the propriety of admit- 

 ting "mongrels" to a pedigree register, on which T entirely 

 agree with what I understand Mr. Anthonv's position to b» 

 — that it is not only no objection, but an advantage to have 

 all animals registered, pedigree or no oedigrer. It is most 

 pernicious mischief to attach any definite value to a regis- 

 tration in any dog pedigree register, and no greater piece of 

 humbug was preached during the war over Rule 2 than 

 that registrations in an official register would have a higher 

 value than in a volunteer one; not in difference in character 

 of the two. but hi the idea that registration in anv register 

 could add one jot or tittle to any dog's value. Doubtless 

 this may be true of stud registers of horses, cattle, etc., for 

 there the produce of one female is generally restricted to 

 oue per year, wbi le a bitch may have twenty, and the greater 

 number cannot be handled on the lines of the lesser one. 

 Everybody knows that there are dozens of mastiffs entered 

 in the Stud Book that either as breeding or exhibition 

 animals are not really worth the entry fee, and also that 

 many animals of very great value cannot be entpred in the 

 Stud Book. There are the mastiff bitches Wnnna and 

 Gytba II., dams of Holda, Gerda, Wodan, etc., etc.. Holda 

 andWodan being among the verv cream of late mastiffs, 

 yet neither of these bitches could be entered, as their dam 

 had no nedbrree and neither of them ever won a prize. When 

 Debonair. Ilford Coroner, Ilford Chancellor, etc.. appeared, 

 their darns. Tdalia and Brenda Second a. could not have been 

 registered in our Stud Book, their granddam having noped- 

 igree, and at that time their great grandsire was wrongly 

 given in the English Stud Book, and there was a stuoendous 

 error iu giving their dam the number of Mr. Nichols'* 

 Brenda, a bitch that was whelned in 1866. 



As to the particular stud book that Mr. Peshall takes such 

 care of, as excluding "mongrels," the gross blunders in 

 mastiff pedigrees registered in it, blunders that for gross 

 stupidity surpass anything extant, minimizes the value to 

 be attached to the magic letters "A. K. C. S. B, number 

 000000." 



The idea that so many have, and that was so developed 

 during the war over Rule 2, that a thoroughly pedigreed 

 animal is humiliated by appearing in a register in company 

 with animals destitute of pedigree, is the veriest nonsense, 

 and the calling unpedigreed animals "mongrels" is a co-re- 

 lation of rot. Mona had absolutely no pedigree whatever, 

 yet her daughters, Wunna and G-ytha II., are fountains 

 of winning blood. Mr. Morris's Flora bad no pedigree, and 

 she was the dam of that "wonderful bitch" Mrs. Rawlin- 

 son's Countess, who in turn was the dam of The Emperor, 

 probable sire of Crown Prince. So here the choicest ani- 

 mals of the day run straight into "mongrels!" The pedi- 

 greed animal doesn't need any painting of the lily, nor is 

 the unpedigreed one a "a sow in silk" by its registration. 



But apart from this, entries in stud books often inflate the 

 owner of the registered animal with a false idea of the 

 value of it, and he will triumphantly quote "A. K. C. S. B. 

 No. 000!" as though that settled it. There would not be the 

 slightest difficulty in entering an animal with a bogus 

 pedigree in the Stud Book, nor do I believe that it would be 

 detected^and from the enormous blunders appearing in the 

 Euglish Stud Book and passing without correction, it does 

 not seem more reliable than ours, so where is the good of 

 them? To the breeder, who wishes to keep track of the 

 blood he is using, be it known or unknown, and for the en- 

 lightenment of him, a stud book is of very great value, but 

 for any other purpose* it is not worth the paper it is printed 

 on. 



No stronger presentation of this matter was ever made 

 than that by "Hibernia" in a late number of the Fanciers' 

 Journal, and his idea of a novice buying a pedigree as the 

 first consideration and the dog as a secondary one, com- 

 pletely fills the bill. The perfect ideal of a stud book was 

 realized iu the A.K.R., which made no pretense to absolute 

 accuracy, but relied on its own vigilant watchfulness and 

 tbat of outsiders to correct any errors. W. WADE. 



Htjiaon, Pa., Sept. 36. 



