210 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 8, 1889. 



" PODGERS " TALKS DOG. 



THE other dav when I happened in at the FOREST AND 

 STREAM office and saw the care-worn expression of the 

 editor-in-chief and the piles of manuscript lying around, I 

 thought I would not disturb him. and shortening my visit 

 turned to go ont. As I did so my eye caught the sign over 

 another door, ' Dogs " "Oh," said I to myself, "dogs, that 

 is my strong suit. I will go in and see the dog editor aud 

 his dogr." I found him whittling off the corner of a. plug 

 of Virginia Cavendish wherewith to fill his pipe. He was 

 cool and salubrious in his shirt sleeves, while the literary 

 editor was warm and uncomfortable and saying some bad 

 things against Sergt. Dunn Forgiving us such a spell of 

 mngSy irrifatiue weather. The contrast was noticeable, 

 and" I mentally reflected on the differeut effect of the two 

 callings on two men. aud said to myself, "dust see the in- 

 fluence of associacion with dogs. Literary work versus 

 digs" The surroundings of the dog editor's den were 

 soothing and conducive to a calm state of mind, and even 

 the work was made pleasant, for the editor had only to 

 raise his eyes to the walls and let them rest on numerous 

 plates and pictures of all the famou« dogs of the country, a 

 noble array of portraits, displaying in their countenances 

 intelligence vastly superior to what one would observe in 

 the same number of human brings. Mv selection was made 

 at once. I should take the dog eud of Forest and Stream 

 if 1 he choice were ever offered to me. 



That brought to my mind the mournful and miserable 

 condition of a man that is doomed to live in a city 

 wherp he emnot keep a dog. My mind wandered hack to 

 the bright days when my houseoold consisted principally 

 of dogs: thirteen, if I remember correctly, aud if my best 

 friend bad come to me and said, "I wan't a clog, you have a 

 world of dogs," I cou:d not ou the life of me nave selected 

 one cut of tbe lot that 1 could have parted with. Occasion- 

 ally when one of them misbehaved, and for the moment 

 w is in disgrace, and 1 said, "Look here young man, you 

 and 1" will have to part company," he would sit dowu in 

 front ot me (for dogs always know what you are saying), 

 look so penitent aud b a seeching and when he si w that I was 

 reieutiug. would wag his tail faintly aud hesitatingly, until 

 he wa< sure the storm had passed, and then bow he would 

 show his delight bv nearly jumping out of his skiu to lick 

 m face. Give that'dog away ? Not much. Not lor a hun- 

 dred. 



I tried keeping a dog once in New York, asmall specimen, 

 whom c'uriug the d*y I reiegated to the back yard of my 

 boarding bouse, after entering into a treaty offensive aud 

 defensive with the cook, involving pecuniary considera- 

 tions; but it was attended with great embarrassments and 

 troubles, and continually led to differences wiih the land- 

 lady. I think I moved seven or eigut times that winter on 

 account of such differences, besides frequently losing the 

 small dog and expending many dollars for advertisements 

 and rewards, until tbe frequency of mysterious disappear- 

 ances became chroaic, and led to a suspicion tnat a certain 

 dog merchant was making his season's expenses out of me 



It was in vain I moved, he followed my wanderiugs until 

 on the last occasion a long interval eusutd without his pro- 

 ducing the dog, and when he finally appeared, I had struck 

 a landlady of stroug views and prejudices ou the dog ques- 

 tion, a woman of decid' d opinions It was a good pl*ee, 

 tbe surroundings were pleasant, the table excelltnt, added 

 to which was a heavy charge by the do:.c mau for capture 

 aud maintenance. I hesit .ted, and working myself up to 

 a pitch of indignation with the small specimen, for his 

 vagabond propensities, I declined further investments, and 

 gave the m m the animal for his bill, much to his disaatis- 

 faction, 1 b-lieve, but ue walked off wit.i Peter under his 

 arm. It was many a day before I could rid my miud of ti e 

 reproachful, beseeching last look that little cog £ave me, as 

 he str> t_hed bis neck over the man's arm as he walked down 

 the street. I felt mean, for the little thing looKed heart- 

 broken. L often wondered what that dog thought of tue. 

 What a mean opi> iou he must have bad of hutnau nature. 



I have not tried it again, nut 1 mourn for the society of 

 some respectable, right- uinded dog. I know a good many 

 meu. friends wi;o huuor me with their cotnp my at times, 

 but they don't fill the nil!. They think I have a bank at> 

 oouut. (What a delusion.) Don't believe tney would come 

 if toey thought orbervwie, but. a dug never asks tbe ques- 

 tion. He is too ninth of a geutleman to do that. Tue mm 

 would wag his head if 1 said, when I enue home frimi down 

 town, that [ han dropped a lot <>f money that d.iy down iu 

 Wall street; the dog would simply wag his t ill in welcome, 

 and oe just as glad to see me hH if 1 had made a thousand or 

 two. 'there's the difference, an l the difference is in f.ivur 

 of tbe dog every tune. The ioager 1 live, I say as the chap 

 did, -'The mora I sea of ni-n the better I think of dogs " 



1 am loo .ing for a place to board this whiter, wnere I can 

 keep a dog. Know or any such? If you do wire me. 



PODGERS. 



THE " STOCK-KEEPER " AND ITS ASSAILANTS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I propose in tue following lines to defend an English 

 j mrual, the Stock-Keeper, (rSm the currish thrusts that nave 

 be<m made at it bv such Eua lisn men as Mr. Mayhew 

 (.'■ Ji'rsc'i B fit is Her") in rurf, Field and farm. Mr. Hus 

 croft in another journal, and their uncieau allies in this 

 cotiutry. I claim to do so as one of the euitors and proprie- 

 torrof the ktock-Keeper, and I reply over my own signa- 

 ture for two reasons; first because my uatueisuot mentioned 

 iu the kennel world with hV<rted eye aud baud-screened 

 Utterance, sccoudly because 1 am no swash-bu".kler; shield 

 or protection of any kiud is unrequired for sucn opponents. 



With your permission, sir, I will introduce, feeling it is 

 necessary, a word or two about the >t>ick-Keeper. Four 

 years ago this journal passed into the hands of its present 

 proprietors, vvuo are al! men of good repute aud some stand- 

 ing in the realms of fancy. None of them was dependent 

 upon thepapei for his riving, thev all had other occupations; 

 but they w<-re prepared to devote their ltisure hours to an 

 earnest purpose, w hich was to create a journal that should 

 raise the tone of the kenuel press aud with it that of the 

 keunel world. Tbey have tried to give their readers an in- 

 teresting paper, void of scurrility aud personalities, and 

 superior to all other considerations than those of duty. 

 Success has rewarded their efforts, and envy, likeaniil- 

 bred cur, snaps at their heels. Bayoud material benefit, 

 however, are prized the thanks of tbe most emiuent and 

 reprtsentativu members ot the kennel worid, which the- Stock- 

 Keeper has leceived ior its share in elevating the standard 

 ol kennel ethics. 



Mr. Mayhew has tried to weaken the position of the Stoclc- 

 Keeper by au attack on me. As to ihe burdeu of his 

 charge against me, 1 believe my character as a gentleman, 

 even in a strange land (which America is to me), is suffi- 

 ciently known to render it superfluous for me to say that I 

 have never made use of my hobby as a means toward busi- 

 ness; iu fact, my friends and acquaintances know the con- 

 trary to be the case. 1 wiil proceed to furnish the clew to 

 Mr. Mayhew's bitterness. When the respectable portion of 

 the terrier world started their crusadeagainst trim mi ng, they 

 met an active opposition from a body of men who made a con- 

 siderable snare of their living by exhibiting and dealing in a 

 breed of dogs that are by some exhibitors trimmed. Against 

 trimming and piucking autisuah devices todeceive were ar- 

 ray e- 1 gentlemen oi the highest standingin the kennel world; 

 in favor of the practice aud continuance of these arts were 

 "the clever division" and .vlr. Mayhew, who under the old 

 order, which suited him so well, had snatched a few suc- 

 cesses on the bench in w-ire haired fox-terriers. Mr. May- 

 hew opened up for his party with a violent aud outrageous 



| attack upon the honorary secretary of the Fox-Terrier Club, 

 Mr. Tinne, one of the most esteemed members of the Kennel 

 Club. The letter was such a bare-faced backing up of trim- 

 ming that tbe Stock-Keeper in commenting upon it stated 

 that Mr. Mayhew might think himself lucky if he escaped 

 an interview with the Kennel Club committee. Mayhew 

 heard the crack of the whip, but he just escaped the thong. 

 It came to the Stocli-Keepcr's knowledge that Mr. Mayhew 

 was. after this, going about telling people he intended to 

 prosecute the paper for libel. To stop hie trading on such 

 cheap notoriety, an editorial was inserted, offering Mr. May- 

 hew every facility for bringing an action. He did not do so, 

 and the kennel community missed the revelation of hearing 

 him under cross-examination. He waited for his revenge 

 till he had the Atlantic between him, and till he found an 

 American paper that would print his attacks. This is not 

 English, not the English character of those who stop at 

 home, and I venture to hope that publishing the cow r ardly 

 attack was not American, but an accident. However, the 

 respectable party here won, and trimming was condemned. 

 Mr. Tinne and his friends would have deserted the fancy 

 had they lost the day, but the climax came when the Kennel 

 Club issued its ukase against the operation, classing it as 

 tampering, and instructing the judges to report cases. 



He never had au appointment here in connpction with 

 the press He was simply ernoloved on odd jobs, though 

 never, I believe, by the Stock-Keeper; if so it would 

 have been without my knowledge. This may even 

 have served to embitter him against myself, added to 

 which I studiously avoided any contact with him. In 

 showing dogs one is compelled to mix with many people 

 whom one is not obliged to know. Outside his own 

 set Mr, Mavbew was only known in the catalogues as 

 a wire-hair fox-terrier exhibitor He was not known in 

 any other breed, and so little was he thought of in this 

 country that the Kennel Club never asked him to judge. 

 This distinction, which many regard as a hall-mark of the 

 kennel world, was never offered to Mr. Mayhew; but still 

 he is considered good enough for America, where, being un- 

 known, he can pose as an authority upon all breeds of dogs. 



A word is necessary to explain why this reply doe* not 

 appear in the paper that puhlished the attack on me. When 

 Mr. Maybew's attacks were read here tbey excited universal 

 contempt, and no secret was made of the fact that an Eng- 

 lish exhibitor had written to the paper to give expression 

 to that feeliug. His letter was not published, nor has a 

 word of apoloav appeared in that journal for inserting such 

 abuse of an editor of afriendly contemporary. Such a course 

 is so opposed to English canons of fair play, that i still sus- 

 pend my judgment, thinking a retraction or explanation 

 may yet be forthcoming. It was noticed over here that Mr. 

 Mayhew's contributions over the nam de plume of "Bl'rst'd 

 Britisher" had ceased to appear, but I observe that he has 

 broken out with a new alias, of which he gives a maudlin 

 I accouut. With his shifting signatures f have no concern, 

 I but I do indignantly draw the attention of the American 

 public to Mr. Mayhew's last offense iu callins his composi- 

 ' ticms "Canine Whispers." The name "Whispers," never 

 I before used iu any newspaper to describe pa'ographs, was 

 adopted by myself for tbe Stock Keeper paragraphs, conse- 

 quently the word has become inseparab y connected with 

 the Stock-Keeper. It is monstrous that Mr Mayhew should 

 adopt from the paper he has already done his est to decry. 

 I trust the editor of my American contemporary will arrest 

 tins move, and tell his pilfering contributor, who has no 

 originality of his own, that this robbing men of their ideas 

 is exceeding the limits of decency and toleration. 



George R. Krehl. 



London, England. 



JACK. 



I AM sorry to be obliged to confess that Jack was not, 

 strictly speaking, a blue blood dog. On the maternal 

 side his lineage was pure, nut his tatht r was only just doir. 

 Poor Jack! Pride of nlood or something, won id not per- 

 mit him to associate wit b his patirnal ancestor, whom he 

 would regard with » look ot dudain from the corner of his 

 eye, as he sat ou his ham, dies witn nose well in the air, 

 sh epily and innocently studying the horizon till his obnox- 

 ious parent withdrew trotu his presence. Then, with a 

 shake of his giossv brown coat and silky ears, he would go 

 to his b- d. doubtless overcome by the cruel necessity of 

 cut'iug his father's acquaintance. 



Generally speaking, Jack w-s strictly honest. Bread, 

 meat, milk, anything in lact was safe for any length of 

 time when Jack was left alone, because he knew they be- 

 longed to his human superiors. 



But to the cat he owed no dsbt of gratitude for scoldings 

 and switchings; consequentlv he and pussy would often 

 differ as to the proprietorship of certain saucers of milk, 

 O.teu have I watched him when he little thought human 

 eye could see his evil doings. Givine the cat ber miJK I s iy, 

 ■'Jack, don't you touch that, now!" Understanding per- 

 fectly whatlsav, Jack walks sadly away, while I go into 

 the kitchen and very nearly close the door. Jack pricks up 

 his ears as he sees me go in, and as-unies a more cheerful 

 expres«ion; he studies each window closely; if any out is 

 there pussy's milk is safe, nut now there is no one in sight; 

 he sniffs; no one watching evidently, so very cheerlully, 

 now, he walks over to pussy's dish and assists in cleaning 

 it out. Just here I open the door suddenly. Like a flash he 

 drops on bis haunches, half closes Lis eyes, raises his nose, 

 and sniffs the air, as though looking for signs of raiu or 

 ducks. Slowly and indifferently he turns his head to give 

 me a glance from his sleep v "blinking eyes, aud while 

 giving his tail a recogniziug wag he slyly hitches a half 

 inch or so further away from the saucer. 

 "Jack 1" I say, "din you touch that milk ?" 

 Blink, blink go Jack's eyes, and he hitches away another 

 half inch, never once relaxing his expression of innocence 

 and sleepiness, yet so very plainly showing that he is con- 

 sciously oblivious tn cat, saucer or milk. But to save him 

 he caDnothelp a quick, anxious glance at the rapidl y dimin- 

 ishing quantity of milk, though he does not turn his head, 

 even abair's bread th,ashe flashes his eyeiukitty's direction. 



Finally I go and close the door, but hastily peep out from 

 behind the curtain. Jack, still sieepiiy blinking, is takiug 

 a sly sniff toward the closed door; once more he views the 

 windows, and sees nothing. Suddenly resuming his natural 

 expression, he I. risk J y turns to the now empty dish, and 

 seeiug its condition, he makes a sudden spring at his play- 

 mate, which causes her to fly iu terror, while be looks, and 

 1 truly believe he thiuks, too, " I'm well out of that scrape; 

 but didn't I fool him, though ! " 



Jack knew as well as a#y one when I was preparing to go 

 shooting. He made no demonstrations of delight when I 

 would don business coat and hat, but let me draw on gum 

 bouts and canvas coat, aud his delight knew no bounds. He 

 would spring and leap as he whined, "sung," and fairly 

 howled in his delight. Sometimes I would say: " Can't go 

 to-day, Jackie; stay home now." With a heart-broken ex- 

 pression he would sit down, while howl after howl made 

 the neighborhood ring as he watched me go through the 

 gate. Turning back after a short distance I would call: 

 " Would you like to go, Jackie ? " Oh, how expectant and 

 hopeful he would look, but not a step would he take yet. 

 "All right, old boy, come on!" and with a bound Jack 

 would clear the gate, joytul once more. 



When quite a young pup I left him home one day iu earnest. 

 He howled pitifully for a while, but near the house I shot a 

 grouse. At the sound of the gun his misery was intense; he 

 sprang at the door, scratching and pawing the panels franti- 

 cally; from that he leaped out to the kitchen table, jumping 



1 at the window in a wild endeavor to get out. Fearful lest 

 be should break the window my wife held him; but caresses 



1 were powerless to quiet his howls for some time. All 

 through the day he would start from his naps and utter 



I fresh howls as the memory of his sorrow seemed to return to 

 him. 



I taught him, when a very small pun, to retrieve. To 

 carry a ball of yam he was obliged to bold his head very 

 high, and to this I attribute his habit of carrying his head 

 well up when he retrieved a bird. His legs were very short, 

 his chest broad and powerful ; and with head held high as he 

 brought in a duck, and his extremely long silky ears reach- 

 ing over his shoulders, he made a beautiful picture. 



Jack proved to me that a spaniel will learn by observation 

 as well as by training. Often when I was out for a day my 

 game bag would become heavy, and to relieve myself of the 

 weight I would hide afew T birds in tufts of meadow grass, 

 to be taken up on my way back to camp, but at no time did 

 1 tell Jack to hide game. 



One night as I was returning to camp I shot a duck. 

 Giving it to Jack I told him to take it "home," and he ran 

 on ahead. Suddeuly 1 remembered that I had left my coat 

 in some brush on a tiny hill, and turned back to get it. 

 Hidden by the brush, and from the elevation I watched 

 Jack. After trotting proudly along for a while, he looked 

 back to see if 1 w T as coming. Not seeing me, he dropped 

 the duck, sniffed and watched the deserted trail. No signs 

 of me. Picking up the duck he trotted off quite a distance 

 from the path, hid the duck in a tuft of grass, and came 

 back iu search of me. Soon he found me and we started on 

 together, I taking no notice of tbe fact that, he was without 

 the game. We walked on rapidly till suddenly, when op- 

 posite his game, he rushed oil, pawed away the grass, and 

 secured the duck, trotting on as before, till he took it into 

 camp. I was proud of Jack then. But the poor fellow was 

 the victim of a joke one day. I shot a duck on a tiny pond 

 close to the house. It floated apparently dead and Jack re- 

 trieved it, while I started back to the house. As he neared 

 the gate he laid the duck down a moment to get a better 

 hold of it, when, like a flash it was off. Astonished at his 

 lively game, Jack stood for one brief moment and watched 

 its flight; then, like a streak, he tore round the fence, and 

 off through the bushes, determined on heading oil: and 

 capturing that duck. In vain I whistled and called. Jack 

 was deaf. Looking up 1 saw my wife on the veranda with 

 tears of laughter rolliug down her face, "over the expression 

 on Jack's countenance,"' she said. 



Two or three hours later Jack returned, panting, tired 

 and disgusted. I suspect he blamed me. he looked reproach- 

 ful, I fancied. 



A more ambitious dog never hunted. One day in winter 

 he retrieved ducks from the water to the side of the boat, 

 where two of us were shooting, till be had brought iu thir- 

 teen without leaving thewater. Then I pulled him into tbe 

 boat, and wrapped him in a gre^it coat, for he w is chilled 

 and stiff. As another duck fell he struggled to get into the 

 water, but I held him back. 



Never shall I forget mv last day's sport with my favorite. 

 He had retrieved a number of pigeons and a grouse or two. 

 Finally I shot a grouse, which fell and fluttered aw.sy. Jack 

 followed, aud feeiiug sure t hat he would soon . atch it, 1 sat 

 on a log to rest; for I was tired after a long tramp through 

 tbe bush Suddenly I heard a close shot and soou a young 

 half-breed boy appeared on the trail. 



"What did you shoot ?" I asked. 



"Dunno; seen a animal runnin', an' tired; guess I didn't 

 hit 'im " And he passed on. 



A few minutes later Jack emerged from the bush, weak 

 and tottering from pain and loss of blood. Springing for- 

 ward 1 bent over him as he laid the captured arouse at my 

 feet. "Jack, old boy, did the brute shoot y m V I exclaimed, 

 and for answer Jack looked up into my lace, whined, licked 

 my hand, and turne.i over, dead. Ken.mare. 



THE ALL-DAY FIELD TRIALS. 



A MEETING of the committee who have in charge the. 

 inauguration of the All-Dav field trials was held on 

 Tuesday afternoon at the office of Mr. F. R. Hitchcock, in 

 this city. Au informal discussion of the details was had, 

 and it was decided to hold the trials at some convenient 

 point iu the Smth. beginning Mondae, Jan. 27. The event 

 will lie a sweeostake, open to all poii ters ami setters, with 

 $50 forfeit and $100 additional to start; 70 percent, of the 

 stake to the winner, 20 per cent to second and 10 per cent, 

 to third. Entries will close Dec. 10, additional money 

 to be paid the night before the race. The committee 

 guarantee the expenses, and the entire s'ake will 

 po to tb* winners. The rules of tbe Eastern Field 

 Trials C'ub will govern, except if there is a bye dog in the 

 first series be must run a heat with the best dotr that has 

 been beaten, and in case of defeat he will be retired, and his 

 competitor will run in the second series. Each heat iu the 

 fiis series will be an all-day one. from 8 A. M. until 5 P. M., 

 with an hour's intermission at noon. In the remaining 

 series the heats will be of four hours duration e cb, except 

 the fina 1 , which will be similar to those of the first series. 

 The following named sreutlemen comprise the committee: 

 Col. C. H. Odell. New York; Mr E R C nVmaii, Lebanon, 

 P.t ; Messrs. J. O. Donuer, H. B Dm yea and F. R. Hitchcock, 

 New York; Mr. Heath, Newark. N. J.; Mr. Knb-rt McCook, 

 Steubeuville, O , aud Mr. Bayard Thayer, Boston, Mass. 



DOG TALK. 



THE Stock-Keeper says of the increase of the registration 

 fee: "The miud of 'the American kennel world is much 

 exercised with the decision of their Kennel Club to raise 

 the registration fee from fifty cents to a dollar. What sort 

 of reception would the plan receive in this country were 

 Cleveland-row to propose to charge 4s. 2d. for registration! 

 We should all go out on strike. Even the shilling has been 

 loaded with epithets, and grizzling arithmeticians have 

 made laborious calculations to show that the cost of labor, 

 stationary, etc., etc., to the Kennel Club would be well 

 covered by a 6d. charge: and then they ask what does the 

 club do with the balance? No doubt the club do have a 

 surplus when all expenses have been allow T ed for, and that 

 surplus is fairly distributed in special prizes to provincial 

 shows. We consider a charge of 4s. 2d. altogether beyond 

 consideration. That any less sum would entail a loss ou 

 the American Kennel Club we must believe, because we 

 have for the genuineness of that statemeut the w r ord of 

 three respected members of the American kennel world, but 

 even so, such a fee is too high, and the A. K. C. should sub- 

 mit to a loss on their stud book rather than put such a pro- 

 hibitive price on the entries." 



The same journal aiso expresses its opinion about compul- 

 sory reports from judges: "For an institution in a repub- 

 lican country we must say that the American Kennel Club 

 is an extraordinarily autocratic body. Its last imperial 

 decree iusists that judges shall furnish reports for publica- 

 tion in their official organ, and, considering that the judges 

 are gentlemen who discharge the judicial duties with no 

 other return than that very empty oue—" the honor of the 

 thing"— an observer cannot help being struck with the 

 curious idea of blending an onerous obligation with an 

 honorary office. The committee of the American Kennel 

 Club probably 7 smooth out any objections to this proposal 

 with the excuse that appears to satisfy' all doubts on sport- 

 iug subjects in the United States: "It's English, you know." 

 But is this English? We think we can show our transatlan- 

 tic cousins that they have misunderstood the practice in 



