234 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 9, 1890. 



SPANIEL JUDGING AT TORONTO. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



The Toronto dog show has come and gone, and proved 

 even a greater success than last year's show, the receipts up 

 to Thursday amountingto 33,350,10 at the door. The Building 

 could hardly be improved upon either for benching, ring or 

 comfort to the spectators. The show of cocker spaniels was 

 immense, there being seventy-six, aud not a. bad one among 

 the lot. But I must say that I was greatly puzzled as to 

 the awards in the different classes. The judge followed no 

 type, but gave the awards to every style and type. Had all 

 the dogs' numbers been tat en and shuffled in a hat and 

 their handlers taken a draw for the prizes and cards, the 

 winners could hardly have turned out of more different 

 types than they did. One first prize winner had a defective 

 muzzle, it being pointed and lacking in depth, flat head, 

 with small, vine-shaped ears, set on high and almost devoid 

 of feather. Another first prize winner, which having a 

 good muzzle, head and ears, had crooked forelegs, very little 

 feather on legs, with a tail quite devoid of feather, and 

 carried way up over the back, on breast it had a very large 

 patch of white, altogether too much. Another first prize 

 winner had a small head and dished face, pointed muzzle, 

 inclining to the greyhound type. Another prize winner 

 had a coarse skull, large heavy head, underhung muzzle, 

 lower incisors projecting nearly half an inch. Another prize 

 winner had a wretched wooly coat, aud was quite devoid of 

 feather. The winner in the "novice class was a large cocker, 

 well up to weight, and being a young dog will some day 

 find himself in the field spaniel class. He is as good a 

 cocker as there was in the show with one exception, that 

 his rather long tail is devoid of feather, a big fault in a field 

 or cocker spaniel. While all the prizewinners, and I might 

 say all the cockers in the show, were low set, some of the 

 prize winners were long in length, while others were short. 

 One first prize black dog has a bitch's head, and appeared 

 to be an extremely timid animal. Another prize winner 

 has a cataract in one eye and is quite blind in that eye. The 

 cocker taking special for best cocker in show is not of cor- 

 rect cocker type. The judge favored the small type; in fact 

 it is hard to believe that three of the prize winners are over 

 181bs., useless little things for any purpose but ladies' pets. 



With few exceptions I found among the rejected or un- 

 noticed ones, dogs with square muzzles, good heads, 

 well-set lobular ears, good coats, with lots of feather on 

 their legs, well-feathered tails and straight legs, with 

 lots of bone. These dogs were also the healthiest, with- 

 out any suspicion of skiu disease, as was the case with 

 some of the winners, The following is very hard to under- 

 stand; it has puzzled me and possibly others. In the year 

 1S89 at Toronto we find, first, Obo, Jr.; second, Black Graf; 

 third, Black Duke; vhc, Pedro; Bob Obo not noticed. Iu 

 1890 at Kingston we find, first, King of Obos; second, Obo, 

 Jr.; equal third, Bob Obo aud Dono. At Toronto in 1890, open 

 class blacks, we find first, Black Duke: second, King of 

 Obos; third, Douo: vhc, Pedro; he. Bob Obo, with Obo.^Jr.. 

 and Black Graf not noticed. Also in same class Brock and 

 Kildare, first and third this year at Detroit, not noticed. 



In the year 18S7 at Detroit, Obo Jr. was first, beating 

 Master Shin'a and Dixie, the second and third prize winners 

 at New York that year. What is one to think of dog shows 

 after such work? Perhaps "Mephisto" can cast some light 

 on the matter, I wonder if he was at the Toronto show? If 

 he was he must still be growing fatter. 



Field spaniels, open class for dogs were a curious lot. Beau, 

 first, I would like to weigh, his weight must be 60 or 701 bs., 

 that alone ought to have kept him out of the blue ribbon. 

 Black Knight, he, had a white front foot, Napoleon had all 

 the hair and feather completely off one ear, Black Diamond, 

 the best of the lot, had not a symptom of feather on legs or 

 tail, and was bad with skiu disease. In looks he was the 

 worker all over, and would be my choice if I wanted a spaniel 

 for the field, of course supposing him to be trained. The 

 judge's decisions in the open class for black cocker dogs 

 gave the greatest dissatisfaction, I was informed that some 

 of the handlers used pretty strong language to his lordship. 

 There are numbers of dog lovers that look upon Mr. Chas. 

 H. Mason as one of the best judges of dogs we have in 

 America. What do we learn from his criticism of the cocker 

 spaniel in his work "Our Prize Dogs"? That skull should 

 be well formed, with clean cheeks, and median line well de- 

 fined. Muzzle should be square and deep, with no projec- 

 tion of the lower incisors. Eyes corresponding as to color 

 with coat (no blind eyes). Ears lobular, set on low, and 

 well clothed with long hair. Neck, chest, back, loins and 

 hindquarters very strong and compact. Forelegs straight, 

 and heavy in bone. Feet thick through the pads, neither 

 turning in or out. Coat flat and smooth. Stern well set, 

 with a downward carriage. Chest, legs and tail well feath- 

 ered. Hocks well bent, and straight. (There was one prize 

 winner at Toronto that if used much in the field, would cap 

 her hocks from their coming together when in motion.) How 

 many of the prize winners at Toronto resemble Obo IT., 

 the dog selected by Mr, Mason for illustration in "Our 

 Prize Dogs"? The dogs most resembling this dog were Obo 

 Jr. and Kildare, not noticed. 



I wonder why so many ot the bench show committees in- 

 sist upon only making one class for English and American 

 foxhounds; they might just as well make one class for bull- 

 dogs and bull-terriers, for there is just as much resemblance 

 in the one as the other. I only had but a short time to 

 spend at the show as I was unable to get there until Thurs- 

 day. L spent a most amusing hour listening to the com- 

 ments of the different people in the audience, as they stopped 

 a few minutes before the foxhounds. Had the decision of 

 the awards been left to them the American foxhound would 

 have won first by long odds. One elderly lady, accompanied 

 by a very portly old gentleman, waxed "quite wrathy in her 

 indignation, and I beard her say tothe old gentleman, "The 

 idea! Such lovely ears, and such a beautiful head, and 

 such soft eyes, my! I would just like to give that judge a 

 piece of my mind." Just as I was leaving three young men 

 came up to see the foxhounds, and I heard one say that he 

 did not'eare what any one said, that that hound, pointing to 

 the American one, was the best hound in the show. Of 

 course he was wrong, as the English hound that got first 

 was a good one, as was also the bitches, although one of 

 the bitches had no brush. The American houud is a good 

 one, with good coat and brush, splendid head and ears, good 

 bone and straight legs, but having the usual fault of all 

 American foxhounds, being too much bent in the pastern 

 joints. The English hound dog had immense bone and 

 muscle. The English foxhound may be good to hunt in a 

 pack, in open ground and open coveys, but is nowhere in 

 this country with our foxhound after a deer or hare. 



The owner of the cocker Kildare had a challenge up for a 

 field trial with dead birds, retrieving from water to count. I 

 felt sorry that out of 75 cockers there was not one that took the 

 challenge up. Oneyoungman spoke to meandsaid that there 

 ought to be a class for working cockers, as his dog was pres- 

 ent at the show and was great on woodcock and snipe. I 

 mentioned to him that a gentleman had a challenge tacked 

 up over his dog, and 1 thought he meant business, as he also 

 had birds (a brace of woodcock) hung up in his dog's stall. 

 He went over where I directed him and read the challenge, 

 with points for contest, and remarked that the woodcock 

 were a fine pair of birds, marched off and I saw him no 

 more. I quite agree with the young man, that every bench 

 show ought to have a class for working cockers. A field 

 trial for these little dogs iu covert for live birds woud be 

 useless and a farce, as in most coverts they cannot be seen 

 10yds., and it would be quite impossible to judge of their 

 merits. The right place for such a trial is the show grounds. 

 After trials in the open as to retrieving dead birds and trail- 



ing by scent, a covert could be improvised with a few dozen 

 stick with straw tied about them, and stuck perpendicular 

 in the ground. The pond at the fountain iu Toronto would 

 bejustt.be thing for the water trial. One would suppose 

 that a trial such as the above would draw well, and be very 

 interesting and attractive to all lovers of the little cocker. 



Amateur.. 



STYLE AND OTHER FIELD POINTS. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



With your consent I here ask the opinions of your readers 

 upon certain matters concerning field dogs, pointers and 

 st tters, and I am quite sure that I am not alone in feeling 

 an interest in the telling, discussing, or questioning of ideas 

 thereupon. Tn the first place, what is style? I am not ac- 

 quainted with field trials nor the winners of such, but yet I 

 have a sort of a notion that I have an idea concerning style. 

 I have seen many of Mr. Tracy's paintings, a number of 

 Mr. Swords', a great many fine engravings and drawings 

 also, of dogs in the field, and I have seen quite a num- 

 ber of finely bred and finely trained dogs at work, and 

 have owned 'a few myself. As I generally carry a gun I may 

 be permitted to say that with extremely few exceptions none 

 iU' t hese seem to 'me to come up to the standard. Style is 

 lots. A lover of the beautiful he must be to appreciate it, 

 and the more ardent the lover the keener the appreciation. 

 No dog of mine should be devoid of a certain style of mo- 

 tion aud position when on point; I value it more highly 

 than perfect staunchness: yet I believe that a really stylish 

 dog is a rare dog- 

 As far as pictures go, as much as I have seen, Mr. Tracy's 

 painting of the famous Roderigo (with Paul Gladstone) 

 comes the nearest to a fine position on point. Now, my idea 

 of what style should be comes from the fact that I once 

 owned a dog. And now I hear the gentle reader commence 

 to climb on to me in the usual way." "Oh, yes, he had a dog 

 that was stylish; perfection! grand! went ahead of anything 

 he ever saw, and all that." Well theu the gentle reader has 

 hit it. I won't disclaim. That's the very wording to suit 

 the case, and if he will know still more he will open your 

 book, Mr. Editor, "Training vs. Breaking" and turn to the 

 sketch of old dog Tri rn aud then to the description of that 

 noble animal when on point, and the reader may know just 

 what my clog was as to style, in better wording than I could 

 put it. My dog was a Laverack setter, son of the famous 

 Thunder, a fine nosed, fine ranging, intelligent fellow, 

 staunch to a fault, unutterably handsome iu coat and figure, 

 clear black and white and belton, and so wonderfully grace- 

 ful iu the field, so perfect in motion and the power to get 

 himself in shape when on point, that— well I never have nor 

 never expect to see his equal. But he was spoiled on dead 

 birds; he wouldn't retrieve nor point dead, nor notice aught 

 but life and activity, so he lacked perfection after all, poor 

 fellow. But had I the touch of the fabled Midas, I would 

 have his memory perpetuated in solid gold, carved as he 

 stood on point, though even then I could not see the breezy 

 wave of his long coat, nor the glauce of his deep brown eyes. 



But I have roaded long enough and must locate, aud come 

 to the point in saying that I do not like the position given a 

 dog by his simply poking out his h°ad, stiffening his tail 

 aud perhaps raising one foot. A handsome dog looks gamy 

 eA'eu then, even at backing with head held high, yet the 

 transition between that and the real gamy point is a broad 

 one, though seemingly slight in wording. I cannot say that 

 my idea of a stylish point or stylish roading is merely a 

 crencb, yet it partakes of that, aud is something more, that 

 appeals to the eye alone and charms beyond ' expression. 

 Asking excuse for indifferent drawing, I beg leave to submit 

 a sketch of a setter on point, that gives in part my idea of a 



stylish dog. A twist of the body, turn of the head, a posi- 

 tion a little more forward, or one in which both hind legs 

 are stretched back near together or both forward under the 

 body, as if the animal was afraid of being shoved forward on 

 the birds, these often give more beauty to the position, the 

 latter one arguing well for statxnehhess. In roading, or 

 working out a scent-covered ground, a gamy dog should get 

 himself into all these positions, and do the sueak act to per- 

 fection when closing on the birds. Moreover, he should drop 

 to a gamy point when striking scent suddenly, and as this 

 generally means a turn it is often the most handsome. 



Well, nobody else may agree with me, but just that is 

 what I would like to know, and if the highly gamy point is 

 really the most desirable, will our breeders, those who have 

 the future of the field dog most in hand, not breed to this 

 end in a measure, try to produce a dog that goes at the birds 

 as if he well knew that his beauty was a joy to his master 

 and tried the more to please him? 



Concerning the breeding of handsome setters, irrespective 

 of style when hunting, let me ask why the regulation dog 

 of the day is less feathered and more slimly built than 

 formerly. I cau understand the advantage of the small 

 setter, I would be about as well pleased if my dog stood 

 not much higher or heavier than a spaniel, but why he 

 should be shorn, so to speak, of the feather under neck and 

 thorax and on the flanks lam at a loss to know. Is it be- 

 cause it. is less hot in woodcock season, less a burr-gatherer, 

 or that breeders think it more handsome than the longer 

 coat ? I like the type of dog that Emperor Fred represented, 

 the deep-shouldered, heavy-head sort. Such a dog cares 

 nothing for brier patches, be they the nasty taugled green 

 variety or the dense sharp-stickered blackberry bushes, and 

 neither scrub-oak nor laurel is more to him than meadow 

 grass to the close-haired setter or the pointer. There is a 

 ruggedness about the setter that is very taking to the moun- 

 tain forest gunner, and the long-coated dog possesses most 

 of this. He will go wherever his master will, and where he 

 won't, too, and ever seems glad to show his tough-skinned, 

 everlasting powers. Where hillside dashing brooks of clear 

 cold water, and valley swamps and ponds abound the long- 

 coated dog finds no discomfort from the heat in shooting 

 season. Moreover, there is far more beauty in the long 

 silken hair, reaching nearly to the ground when roading, 

 and waving in the breeze, an elegance that seems wanting 

 in the currish-looking short coat. All this to my thinking; 

 what say my brother sportsmen upon the question? 



Another matter — that oft-mooted question, pointer vs. 

 setter — may not more light be shed upon it liya res?/)»c of 

 the field trials held for several years back, and most inter- 

 estingly and carefully reported in FOREST AND Stream? 

 Both breeds have shown some wonderful examples ot dog 

 sense and training, prominent among these, from what I 

 read, the grand Roderigo and last year's winner, the pointer 

 Ossian, What a pity there is not a more earnest greed for 

 glory among the owners of such dogs, so that the best every- 

 where could be matched against each other, and under all 

 sorts of conditions as to country, weather, ground and dif- 

 ferent game. But, as it now stands, it seems to me that 

 much valuable summing up might be done by one very 

 familiar with the ins and outs of the trials, taking into con- 

 sideration all the relative conditions such as the majority 



of dogs run, the number of winnings of each breed, the 

 handling, the training, the weather, the character of the 

 country, the number of birds, the work on its several merits, 

 the judging, etc., etc., and making careful comparisons. 



Furthermore, it seems to me that the opinions of this or 

 that shooter (who may have owned a dozen dogs, and one or 

 two of exceptional worth belonging to one breed) are nearly 

 worthless unless his comparisons" are drawn from a very 

 thorough knowledge of the working of a great number of 

 dogs under much the same conditions. 



S. Frank Aaron. 



Philadelphia, September. 



THE A. K. C. TROUBLES. 



NO further progress is reported iu the Vredenburgh- 

 Peshall libel case, though we are advised that efforts 

 are making for an early trial. The indictment is heregiven, 

 showing the precise passages in the Forest and Stream 

 publication on which Mr. Vredenburgh based his complaint; 



Court of General Sessions of the Peace of the 

 Citt and County of New York. 



The People of the Skate of New York against Charles ■/. 

 PeshaU: 



The Grand Jury of the City and County of New York, by 

 this indictment accuse Charles J. Peshall of the crime of 

 publishing a libel committed as follows: 



The said Charles J. Peshall, late of the city of New York, 

 in the county of New York, aforesaid, ou the nineteenth 

 day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight 

 hundred and ninety, at the city and county aforesaid, un- 

 lawfully and maliciously contriving and intending to vilify 

 and defame one A. P.' Vredenburgh, who was then and 

 for a long time prior thereto, to wit: from and since the 

 month of May, 1885, had been, the secretary-treasurer of 

 the American Kennel Club, and as such had charge of and 

 kept the books and accounts of the said club, and had the 

 charge and control of its financial affairs, and to bring him, 

 the said A. P. Vredenburgh, into public scandal and dis- 

 grace, and to injur" and aggrieve him and to cause it to be 

 believed that he, the said A P. Vredenburgh, had been 

 guilty of gross and fraudulent irregularities in his accounts 

 as such secretary-treasurer, and had fraudulently falsified 

 the books and accounts, and maliciously did publish and 

 cause and procure to be published in a certain newspaper 

 and publication known as the Forest And Stream, pub- 

 lished in the said city and county, a certain false, scandal- 

 ous, malicious and defamatory libel, of and concerning the 

 said A. P. Vredenburgh, in a certain part of which said 

 libel there were contained certain false, scandalous, mali- 

 cious, defamatory and libelous words and matters of and 

 concerning the said A. P. Vredenburgh, according to the 

 tenor and effect following, that is to say: 



I have also opposed the financial management of this Club 

 [meaning the said Ante' ican Kennel Club] and for fear that I may 

 have been misunderstood, permit me now to say that the financial 

 management as evinced by the reports made, are not only false 

 and fraudulent, false, beeatise'they are not true, and fraudulent 

 because they have been made with the intention to deceive. 



And in certain part of which said libel, there were con- 

 tained other false, scandalous, malicious, defamatory and 

 libelous words and matters of aud concerning the said A. 

 P. Vredenburgh, according to the tenor and effect follow- 

 ing, that is to say: 



Afew days after this meeting, while the writer of this was in 

 th«> American Kennel Club [meaning the said American Kennel 

 Club] office, Mr. Vredenburgh [meaning the said A, P. Vre.len- 

 burgb] s'ated to me out of his own mouth, substantially that I 

 had made no mistake in Dominating Mr. Belmont, as he had come 

 into the office mourning over the smallness of the bank account 

 and replenished it. with a, large sum of money. At the annual 

 meeting of the American Kennel Club [meaning the said Ameri- 

 can Kennel Club], which was held Feb. 31. 1889, Mr, Vredenburgh 

 [meaning the said A. P. Vredenhurgh] as treasurer mud" two re- 

 ports, commencing from Dec. 5, 1*88 and showing the balance as 

 reported at the previous meeting 8539, and on Jan. 11, $1, 228.28. If 

 Rny book-keeper will now take these 1 wo amounts and examine 

 thf m, there is only one conclusion that be can come to, and that 

 is this, that they are false. The item of $1,228.28 was not earned 

 by the Club [meaning the said American Kennel Club], there was 

 no possible resource from which the club could earn this item, and 

 the club [meaning the said American Kenn-1 Club] did not earn 

 it, it was either borrowed, book-keeied or juggleo into the ac- 

 counts. 



And in a certain other part of which said libel there were 

 contained certain other false, scandalous, malicious, defam- 

 atory and libelous words and matters of aud concerning the 

 said A. P. Vredenburgh, according to the tenor and effect 

 following, that is to say: 



May 8. 1888, the American Kennel dub treasurer's [meaning the 

 said A. P. Vredenburgh 1 *] teport shows $128.01 on band. Secre- 

 tary goes to Europ-, returns Dec. 3. 18«8. Dee. 6, 1888, makes a 

 report dated Dec. 5; balance on hand $5.30. At the same meeting 

 asknd to have registration fee increased 100 per cent., because 

 stud hook was always published at a loss. On same month states 

 to the writer, received a large amount of money from the presi- 

 dent. Feb. 21, 1889, makes two reports on one day, which shows 

 upon their face fully as much jugglery as could have been gotten 

 into one report in two days. 



And iu a certain other part of which said libel there were 

 contained certain other false, scandalous, malicious, defam- 

 atory and libelous words and matters of and concerning the 

 said A. P. Vredenburgh, according to the tenor and effect 

 following, that is to say: 



January, 1830 secretary and treasurer [meaning the said A. P. 

 Vredenburgh] published an annual statement showing that from 

 and during the year 1889 he [meaning the =aid A. P. Vredenburgh] 

 had received from the dog m<-n and breeders of this country 

 §8,312.26, and that he [meaning the said A. P. Vredenburgh] and a 

 few others had expended $7,027 66. and yet he [meaning tne said 

 A. P. Vredenburgh] fails to show in any of his reports where the 

 dog men and breeders have received any benefit from the expen- 

 diture of this money; for no stud book was published during the 

 year and for some two months thereafter. 



To the great damage, scandal, disgrace and infamy to the 

 said A. P. Vredenburgh, against the form of the statute in 

 such case made aud provided, and against the peace of the 

 people and their dignity. 



John R. Fellows, District Attorney. 



A KENNEL CLUB FOR HAMILTON.— Hamilton, Can- 

 ada, October.— Editor Forest and Stream: A very largely 

 attended meeting was held here last night i-i the Board of 

 Trade rooms, when it was decided to form a local organiza- 

 tion to be known as tne Hamilton Kennel Club. The object of 

 formation is to encourage the breeding of good dogs aud to 

 hold a first-class annual bench show. This is such a doggy 

 town and the situation so convenient and central that 

 American and Canadian exhibitors will learn of the new 

 club with delight. A capital working committee Avas ap- 

 pointed, and Mr. A. D. Stewart, the founder of Canadian 

 bench shows, was unanimously elected president. Affilia- 

 tion will be asked for with the American and Canadian 

 kennel clubs, and the prospects for success are as rosy as 

 could be desired. The election of officers resulted as follows: 

 President, A. D. Stewart; Vice-President, Andrew Murdoch; 

 Secretary, C. W. Mulligan; Treasurer, Geo. T. Tuckett. 

 Committee, E. Tinsley, J. M. Harris, Frank Close, H. S. 

 Case, Wm. McDonald. Veterinary Surgeon, Dr. Moler. — 



OXT. 



BALTIMORE DOG SHOW. — Baltimore, Oat. 3.— Editor 

 Forest and Stream: The Maryland Kennel Club claim the 

 dates of Marcp ;l, 4, 5 and 0, 1891, for their second annual 

 dog show at Baltimore, Md.— H, Stewart Difff.nder- 

 ffer, Sec'y. 



