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FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 28, 1890, 



assuming the kennel editorship of this journal. We trust 

 that our pleasant relations with the doggy fraternity may 

 continue in the future. Our aim will constantly be to en- 

 courage the improvement of every breed of dog, and though 

 our criticisms may hit hard sometimes, depend upon it, 

 they will be given impartially and from a sense of honest 

 conviction. 



THE ENGLISH SETTER STANDARD. 



A GOOD deal of interest has been evinced lately as to 

 what style or type of dog the new English Setter Club 

 would adopt in their new standard. We publish, therefore, 

 the standard in full, which has already received the in- 

 dorsement of the executive committee, and which will be 

 finally adopted at the meeting of the club on the 33d inst, 

 A copy has already been sent by the secretary, Mr. P. C. 

 Ohl, to every member of the club for suggestions. 



ENGLISH SETTER STANDARD. 

 The English setter is essentially a field dog, and a proper 

 estimate of his value on the bench can only be made with a 

 due regard to his field merit, as expressed in his formation 

 and blood characteristics. No judge of a setter on the bench 

 can take into account the quality of his nose or the quality 

 of his intelligence. The value of these characteristics can 

 only be determined in the field, when they are brought into 

 use, except, perhaps, as the quality of these important fac- 

 tors may be incidentally suggested by the absence of indi- 

 cations of outside blood and the presence of certain expres- 

 sions of the motions, with which the judge is familiar. 

 There is, however, so much guess-work in valuing these 

 qualities that no points can be allowed for them. The judge 

 should divest himself of an attempt to measure the probable 

 quality of a dog's nose or intelligence on the bench. He 

 should be concerned chiefly with the quality of the dog's 

 formation for speed, endurance and adaptability for the 

 work required of him, much attention, too, must be paid to 

 those race characteristics which have no relation to the 

 question of locomotion, for a badly bred dog is sometimes 

 well formed, but the presence or absence of characteristics 

 which indicate outside blood, presupposes that the dog, 

 although made to go. and able to go, will be wanting in the 

 instincts peculiar to the breed. 



The setter formation which seemed to be the most desir- 

 able years ago, is no longer held to represent the best type 

 of the breed, and characteristics that were then thought de- 

 sirable have proven objectionable. The present ideal com- 

 pared with the ideal of ten years ago differs in the addition 

 of such particulars as have been iiroved to be desirable, and 

 the loss of those which trials have demonstrated to be unde- 

 sirable. 



The head of the English setter of to-day differs very little 

 from the head as described by writers ten or even twenty 

 years ago. The present type is for a head a trifle longer and 

 lighter than that described of dogs in the past. This type is 

 desirable since it is in harmony with the general conforma- 

 tion of the dog, the demand being for more length and less 

 weight throughout. 



The following description, in which we quote largely from 

 "Stoneheuge," we submit: 



Head (20). — The skull is of a peculiar character, not so 

 heavy as that of a pointer, and without the furrow and 

 marked prominence of the occipital bone. It is narrow, or 

 of medium width between the ears, and the brows should be 

 raised at a sharp and decided angle from the nose. The nose 

 should be long and with width in harmony with skull, with- 

 out any fullness under the eyes. In the average dog the 

 length should be four to four and one-half inches from the 

 inner corner of the eyes to the end of the nose. Between the 

 point and root of the nose there should be a slight depression, 

 at all events there should be no fullness, the nostrils must 

 be wide apart and large in the openings, and the end of the 

 nose moist and cool. In all setters the end of the nose 

 should be black or dark liver-colored, except that, in whites 

 or lemon and white, a pink nose may be pardoned. The 

 jaws should be exactly equal in length, a "snipe nose" or 

 •'pig jaw," as the receding lower one is called, being 

 seriously faulty. The ears should be hung well back and 

 set low, of moderate length and slightly rounded at the 

 point, and without the slightest tendency to prick. The 

 "leather" should be thin and soft, carried closely to the 

 cheeks, so as not to show the inside, and should be clothed 

 with silky hair about two inches in length. The lips are not 

 so full and pendant as those of the pointer, but at their 

 angles there should be a slight fullness, not reaching quite 

 to the extent of hanging. The eyes must be full of anima- 

 tion, and the width between them should be in proportion 

 to the size of the head and face, so that the eyes should be 

 equally free from a close set, as well as a wide staring ex- 

 pression, and they should be set with their angles straight 

 across. The best color is a rich brown. 



Neck (6).— The importance of a long, lean neck has not 

 been fully realized until quite recently, or, at all events, 

 there has not been sufficient stress laid upon the point. 

 Length of neck tends to high-headedness, and permits the 

 dog to feel about for scent over a greater amount of space 

 than he could with a short neck, Besides it adds greatly to 

 his style, and to the ease and freedom of action of the shoul- 

 ders and forelegs. The setter's neck has not the rounded 

 muscularity of the pointer's. Being considerably thinner, it 

 should gradually deepen as it approaches the shoulders, 

 joining them in a graceful curve. It must not be throaty, 

 though the. skin is loose. 



Shoulders and Chest (15).— The shoulders should be 

 formed so as to permit of perfect freedom of action to the 

 foreleg moving from the shoulder joint, giving a long, ex- 

 tended stride. The shoulder blades should be deep and 

 wide, and sloping well forward. The upper arm should be 

 of good length from point of shoulder to elbows, and the el- 

 bows well let down and at such an angle as will bring the 

 legs fairly under the dog. A leg formation that is straight 

 from point of shoulder to foot is objectionable, and more so 

 one with the excessive angle throwing the leg too far back 

 under body of dog. A medium angle from point of shoulder 

 to elbow is the correct form. Mr. Laverack was said to be 

 fond of a setter with well-sprung ribs back of the shoul- 

 der, a feature all right, provided that they had depth also, 

 but he laid so much stress upon this point in his selection of 

 dogs for stock purposes, that his breed was not only round in 

 the barrel, but the width was carried forward between the 

 shoulders, a very objectionable form, as also is the deep, thin 

 chest, with light spring of the ribs behind the shoulder, 

 known as "slab-sided." Public field trials have demon- 

 strated that there should be as much volume of the chest as 

 it is possible to obtain, distributed in such a manner as not 

 to interfere with the shoulder of the dog, or restrict his pace 

 in any way, that is, the cnest between the shoulders should 

 be thin enough to allow the shoulders to lie flat and move 

 with freedom. Back of the play of shoulders, the ribs 

 should spring gradually to the middle, and then gradually 

 lessen to the back rib. The greater the length from the 

 shoulder to the last rib, and the greater the depth of the 

 last rib, the better. The drop in chest should be just back 

 of the elbows, the chest sloping from this point upward to- 

 ward the neck, permitting the dog to carry his neck and 

 head up with more ease. Great depth between the shoulders 

 is objectionable, since it puts too much weight on the 

 shoulders and forelegs. The weight should be distributed 

 as evenly as possible between the forward and hind parts; 

 the tendency is too much forward. By bringing the greater 

 volume of chest back of the shoulders, the fore parts are re- 

 lieved of weight that should be, in part, supported by the 

 hind parts. A longer dog than the type described in former 

 standards is desirable, but with the additional length and 

 weight in the middle, there will follow a tendency to "sway- 



back" which is to be met with a slight arch or additional 

 strength in the back. 



Baeli and Loins (10).— It has been the custom of some 

 writers to treat of a dog's loin as his back, we make the 

 distinction between it and the back as extending from the 

 last rib to the hips. These two parts are to be considered 

 separately, since a dog may be good in one and weak in the 

 other. The loin should be strong and of moderate length. 

 There is such a thing, however, as a dog having too much 

 loin. Every ounce more than he needs is so much dead 

 weight. In estimating the quality of a dog's loin, due re- 

 gard must be paid to his condition, as a fat dog, with natu- 

 rally a poor loin, appears exceedingly good in this particular, 

 while a dog with naturally a good loin, but in poor condi- 

 tion, will appear deficient. An arched loin is desirable, but 

 not to the extent of being "roached" or "wheel-backed." 

 The back should be strong at its juncture with the loin, a 

 slight arch not objectionable, and should slope upward with 

 a slight rise, to the point of the shoulders. Any "sway" or 

 "drop" back of the shoulders is a sign of weakness. 



Quarters and Stifles (8).— The quarters should be broad 

 across the top, the hip bones slightly prominent and wide 

 apart, with good length from them to point of bones, at root 

 of tail; the quarters should be well muscled; the stifles 

 should be well bent— excessive bend, although fashionable 

 for a time, is not desirable. A slight bow at stifles is a 

 point of merit, as the feet in such cases stand squarely 

 under the dog and are moved forward in a straight line, the 

 slight bow serving as well to keep the stifles and legs easily 

 away from the body when the quarters are brought forward. 



Legs, Elbows, Hocks (8) and Feet (7) (15).— The elbows 

 and toes should have the same direction, and should point 

 straight from front to rear, and if not straight the "pigeon- 

 toe" or in-turned leg is less objectionable than the out-turn, 

 in which the elbow is confined by its close attachment to the 

 ribs. 



The upper arm should be flat, muscular, strong and bone 

 fully developed, the muscle should feel hard and should be 

 d void of flabbiness. The forelegs should be flat and taper 

 gradually from elbow to pastern joint; it should feel hard 

 and flinty, with no looseness of skin. The pasterns should 

 be short and strong and nearly round. The slope from 

 pastern joint to foot should deviate but slightly from the 

 perpendicular. The hind legs should be muscular, with 

 wide thighs and wide, flat hocks and plenty of bone. The 

 lower thigh should have fair development of muscle. The 

 feet deserve careful attention, as upon their capability of 

 standing wear and tear depends the utility of the dog. Two 

 types are recognized, the round cat foot and the long hare- 

 foot. Either type is good, but the cat foot is preferred. The 

 feet should be close and strong and well padded, with toes 

 well arched and clothed with hair, but it should be short 

 and thick. 



Stern (5).— The stern or tail should be carried straight, or 

 with slight curve upward, either slightly above the middle 

 of the back, or down. There should be no curl, it should 

 taper to a fine end, and reach the hocks. The feather must 

 be composed of straight, silky hairs, falliug loosely as a 

 fringe when the tail is raised and tapering to the point of the 

 tail. There must be no "bushiness" whatever. 



Coat and Feather (5).— The coat should be flat, with an 

 absence of wave or curl. By this is meant a full coat such as 

 characterizes the true English setter- The feather should 

 be moderate, and that on the back of the legs should be thin 

 and regular. 



Color and Markings (4). — Too much stress must not be 

 put upon color, for the color in this breed is largely a matter 

 of fancy. Some prefer black and white, or black, white and 

 tan; others, lemon and white, and others again liver and 

 white. Being so largely a matter of fancy, it should be 

 dealt with gently. The colors now recognized are as fol- 

 lows: Blue belton, black, white and tan, black and white, 

 lemon or orange and white, lemon or orange belton, liver 

 and white, liver belton. 



Symmetry. — After examining a dog critically in all his 

 points there yet remains to be estimated the harmony of the 

 whole. The dog may have a good head, shoulders and quar- 

 ters when looked at simply as single points, but when they 

 are looked at collectively, as a part of one dog, they may be 

 sadly out of harmony with each other. The head may be a 

 good head seen simply as a head, but it may be too large or 

 too small for the dog. The foreparts may be good in them- 

 selves, but too heavy or too light for the hindparts or the 

 rest of the dog. It is harmony of all the points which con- 

 stitutes the symmetry and quality, and these points, in their 

 proper relation to each other, go a long way toward what 

 constitutes the beauty and serviceable qualities of the dog. 



SCALE OF POINTS. 



Value. 



Head 20 



Neck 6 



Shoulders 15 



Back and loin . . .10 



Quarters and stifles 8 



Legs, elbows, hocks and feet 15 



Stern 5 



Coat and feather 5 



Color and markings 4 



Symmetry 12 



Total 100 



THE COLLIE CLUB STAKES 1891.— Philadelphia, Pa., 

 Oct. 15— Editor Forest and Stream: Referring to the 

 remarks in your issue of Oct. 9, signed "The Squire," I beg 

 to say that it would appear to me also advisable that some • 

 change should be made in the proposed terms for the Collie 

 Club Stud Dog Stakes, in regard to the progeny that can 

 compete. Whatis the objection to conforming to the custom, 

 which seems to be pretty general in England, of allowing 

 any progeny of any age, that are exhibited at the show where 

 the stake is decided, to compete? It is, to my mind, a great 

 mistake to limit the number of the progeny, either by quali- 

 fications of age, or otherwise. Provided there are at least 

 two of the get of any stud dog at the show, it seems to me it 

 would be well to allow such dog to compete. If the Collie 

 Club think it best to rule that the progeny must be out of 

 more than one bitch, I see no special objection to this, but 

 am of the opinion that this stipulation would be as far as it 

 is wise to go, in regard to dictating rules, as to the progeny 

 that can make the stud dog eligible. The stud dog should 

 not only be at public stud, but exhibited on the bench at the 

 show where the stake is to be decided. This should be a 

 sine qua non.— Mitchell Harrison. 



POINTING SMALL BIRDS —Indianapolis, Ind., Oct. 

 14.— Editor Forest and Stream: 1 have a very fine young 

 Irish setter who has been following me when I go through 

 the city with buggy, and has by so doing acquired the habit 

 of pointing sparrows by sight, so that it interferes with his 

 proper action in the field. He has a good nose, and if you 

 could advise me what to do to brine his attention to point 

 by scent only, I would be greatly obliged.— Otto Stechhan. 

 [We have owned a number of dogs that would point small 

 birds by sight, and have invariably succeeded m breaking 

 them of the habit by simply letting them point and taking 

 no notice of them whatever, letting them point while we 

 continued our course, leaving flftem to follow us when they 

 pleased. This of course when taking them out shooting. 

 When a point is made to a game bird it should be killed if 

 possible, but whether killed or not the dog must be praised 

 and petted, and given to understand that this is what is 

 wanted. This course, if properly pursued, will soon bring 

 your dog all right.] 



TO MY LOST LURAY. 



IN a box with his brother, 

 Each solacing the other, 

 The puppy left Virginia by pxpress, 

 A gift to me. He kDew mv first caress, 

 And made me love him by his puppy pranks. 

 His roguish bites and barks and kissing thanks. 



The pretty little fellow 



Had paws of tawny yellow. 

 And nose and chops the same; ard two tan spots 

 Above his hazel eyes, that seemed like dots 

 Of thought upon his forehead; and for the rest, 

 In sable, shiny black Lnray was dressed. 



I thought him so much better 



Than any puppy setter, 

 I took him to the dog show; with his eyes— 

 I know it, was his eyes— he won the prize. 

 (He was the only entry in his class, 

 Some friends took pains to say — but let that pass). 



As soon as he grew older, 



His fluffy puppy shoulder 

 Stood high and gaunt; his loins began receding; 

 In every iine and point he showed his breeding. 

 The time has come, said I, to test bis grain, 

 And now, if ever, to begin to reign. 



I improvised a quarry. 



And I made him fetch and carry, 

 And "charge" and "heel" and "find;" and do all, in short, 

 To fit a setter for a life of sport. 

 He did not learn bis lesson m a day. 

 And often sought to shirk his work for play. 



I tried not to upbraid him, 



Tho' often, when I made him 

 Do this or that, he taxed my patience much; 

 For )f I held a bone in careless clutch, 

 Which I would think to hide and make him find, 

 He'd steal up soft and snap it from behind. 



And then to see him scamper 



Was something of a damper 

 On training. How he'd frisk and twist and bound, 

 And toss the bone and catch it off the ground, 

 And wait, crouched low before with hips held high 

 Till I approached him, when away he'd fly! 



And then I'd shout: "Charge down, sir! 



You'll never win renown, sir, 

 Behaving so." But by and by he came 

 To understand me and to find my game 

 More fun thnn his; he'd watch my wave of hand, 

 Or stop and listen to my least command. 



So he was wise and sober 



Some time before October, 

 When dogs and hunters take their tramps afield. 

 The first day he was puzzled, nor revealed 

 His sense; the next he. noaed about; the third 

 He traued, he pointed, and he fetched bis bird. 



He never made a blunder, 



But hunted to the wonder 

 Of all who knew him. When another gun 

 Than mine bad killed, and other dogs weru done 

 Wit b. searching for the bird, my side he'd leave, 

 Go far within the bush and then retrieve. 



There never was a cartridge 



More sure to find a partridge 

 Than he. What pride he took to fetch his bird- 

 Tbe puppy with his partridge! Wilding heard 

 It all at night, I fancied, when Luray 

 Crept in his stall, and close beside him lay. 



They always slept together 



In frosty autumn weather, 

 They loved eacb other. Wilding munched his hay. 

 And breathed warm kisses on the dog; Luray 

 Coiled in the. straw where Wilding put his nose 

 And gently licked it after every doze. 



The next day, when the pony 

 Was in his cart, his crony 



Before we started alwavs rushed to kiss him; 



He never failed, but Wilding seemed to miss him 



Until he jumped and licked Uis face; the start 



Thus authorized, he ran beneath the cart- 

 Alas! all that is ended; 

 An illness came, attended! 



With pain and poison; I have lost Luray. 



'Tis sad that every dog must have his day; 



Oh, why did not Luray have hn? Two years— 



So much, for loving; all the rest for tears. 



And now I've told my story, 



I mu»t tell you how I glory 

 In having loved Lurav. What batter than 

 Such love for such a dog? I loathe the man 

 Who snarls at dogs; his very soul's agog, 

 God made the world; God also made, the dog. 



—John Eliot Bowen, Century for October. 



DOGS OF THE DAY. 



A FEW days ago I took advantage of a spare morniug to 

 run out to the Swiss Mountain Kennels at German- 

 town to see if there was any prospect of puppies out of the 

 recently imported St. Bernards Dart and Donna Silva. 

 When they arrived here I had a very strong suspicion that 

 they were not with whelp, and I regret to say that such is 

 the case. It is of course quite a disappointment, but their 

 owner takes it philosophically, looking for better luck next 

 time. It is always a pleasure to go ou t to these kennels and 

 see the excellent condition the dogs are in. The motto there 

 seems to be "Eternal vigilance is the price of success." And 

 yet even that safeguard does not prevent accidents. Re- 

 cently a very nice smooth-coated bitch, Morna (17,089), 

 jumped over a fence while the kennel man was absent for a 

 few moments and hung herself; and the day before I made 

 my visit the black cocker bitch Waggles, while running in 

 the orchard with the St. Bernards, had given offense to one of 

 the St. Bernards and received a nip in return which termin- 

 ated her earthly career. She was one of the best-bodied 

 cockers I have ever seen, and but for being a little too 

 blocky in head would have taken a tiptopper to beat her. 



The bright side of the story consists in noticing two very 

 nice litters of St. Bernards, one by Marquis of Stafford and 

 the other by Arch Duke. Marquis of Stafford is a son of 

 champion Save, an almost entirely white dog, but who gets 

 nicely marked puppies. I also saw two very promising pup- 

 pies not qtiite four months old, by Arch Duke out of 

 Madame Barry. I saw them some time ago and then said 

 that I thought Arch Duke was a promising sire. Since 

 then these puppies have come on well, and with good luck 

 will make their mark. When the kennel editor of Forest 

 and Stream can spare time to run over to Philadelphia I 

 hope he will do so and permit me to take him out to see 

 them. 



Mr. J. A. Long, of St. Louis, tells me he has some very 

 promising collies by Archibald. As the dam is fully as well 

 bred as the sire they ought to be good ones, and I hope their 

 owner will at last have the good turn he deserves for his 

 many plucky purchases of stock in England. 



On Friday of last week I was very much astonished to re- 

 ceive a letter from Mr. Jas. L. Anthony, criticising some of 

 my remarks which appeared in the last week's issue of 

 Forest and Stream. Of course, I have no objection to 

 criticism, considering that I indulge in it so much, myself, 



