July 15, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



33 



POINTS AND FLUSHES. 



[By a Staff Correspondent.] 



Chicago, July 8.— I notice that in Forest ^lNq stream of 

 June 29, one of ray kennel notes was held over by mistake 

 till it was out of date. 1 refer to the one mentioiiing the 

 Beagle Club meeting at the World's Fair, June 14, which 

 was sent about June 1. 



From Mr. J. E. Fisher, of Riverside, Ind., the well-known 

 trainer, I received a letter from which I quote th'' following: 



"Dog owners are now looking around, some plactug their 

 -dogs with trainers for field trial preparation, and some are 

 having them trained for private shooting. 



"Why does not the U. S. F. T. Club give later dates than 

 July 1 for closing its entries ? The far West people have 

 dogs which they would like to start if the dogs would 

 qualify. The Derby closes before the owners have time to 

 con espond with the handlers. I had a very promising dog 

 lor the Derby in Trials A, but the time to make arrauge- 

 "ments was too short. The owner, having other business to 

 .attend to, wrote a day or two too late, and thus the dog was 

 ahut out." 



I am impressed with the belief that the unpleasant occur- 

 Tence was due more to the owner's negligence than to the 

 ■date of closing the entries. Mr Fisher will readily see that 

 If the entries were kept open till every owner calmly and 

 leisurely got good and ready to make uo his mind and later 

 on wrote that that interesting cerebral movement was com- 

 pleted, the trials might not be held till far in the future. 



It is a great loss to the field trial interests that the Central 

 Field Trials Club will hold no field trials this year. It was 

 one of the most popular and successful fixtures in the cir- 

 cuit. It would not be too late even now to arrange for a trial, 

 although there is but little probability that such will be 

 done. Mr. Wallace with his experience and ability could 

 ■conduct a trial most skillfully. Furthermore, he is most 

 popular with field trial patrons. On this subject a corre- 

 spondent writes me: "It certainly is 'too bad to let such a 

 ^ood club, on such a firm footing, fall flat just because there 

 IS no one to move in the matter." 



The A. K. C. Management. 



Under the above caption Mr. Heppner had a long commu- 

 nication iu Forest and Stkeam of June 15. The communi- 

 tion was originally a letter to the secretary of the Great Dane 

 ■Club of America. Prefixed to it is a resolution by the club, 

 which indorses Mr. Heppner's action as delegate. Just why 

 :it was necessary for this club to indorse its delegate's action, 

 when no record is presented showing that his action was 

 -questioned, and just why the delegate wrote a very long, ful- 

 some letter on the A. K. C. management on matters entirely 

 outside his acts or official powers as delegate, also is not 

 shown by the recoi-d. Still, Mr. Heppner may have felt that 

 the canine world needed the light which he could turn on it, 

 and the manner of it, so that it was good, is of little import- 

 «,nce. That Mr. Heppner has set everything all right by his 

 personal assurance that everything is all right, will doubt- 

 lessly be received with rejoicings. One little paragraph 

 among many similar ones, does not seem guite logical. It is 

 as follows: 



''But the A. K. C. considers it beneath its dignity to 

 answer anything that is outside of an interpellation by a del- 

 egate at the proper time of quarterly meetings." 



Some persons might be pleased to term such as being neg- 

 ligence, sulldness or obstinacy. How it would affect its dig- 

 aiity is not at all plain. The A, K, C. is a creation of the 

 kennel world and it can not well have more dignity than its 

 • creator. But all this about dignity is too fulsome and frivo- 

 lous to consider seriously. 



Wliat I desire to touch upon is the following, in which he 

 says: "For instanocj the Forkst and Stream had an item 

 the other day from its Western correspondent to the effect 

 that the A. K. C. taxed the doLjgy world too highly and piled 

 Tip a great deal of moaey which really belonged to the dog- 

 men, and wound up with the I'emark that there was some 

 .$6,000 in bank. Now I say that such a statement should not 

 be admitted, and if it appeal's in arguments in favor of a 

 rival club, then 1 say to the embryonic rival of the A. K. C, 

 'Beware of your friends.' " 



Now that'Mr. Heppner's opinion on what is proper to pub- 

 lish and what is not, is known, 1 feel that the writers will 

 -carefully govern themselves accordingly, with a proper sense 

 of gratitude for the admonition. But compare this disap- 

 proval with the latitude he bestows on the A. K. C. member- 

 ship quoted later herein. 



When I said, many weeks ago, "It is not a money-making 

 -concern, or at least such is not its purpose, yet it has over 

 ;$6,000 in its treasury, according to its treasurer's last report." 

 That was the report of the A. K. C, meeting Feb. 22, the 

 treasurer's report showing a balance of $6,300.66. I do not 

 object to being quoted, but I do object to garbling or mis- 

 representation. 



Of course, there must have been money expended since 

 Feb. 22. I presume the scud-book printing, salaries, etc., 

 had to be paid, but the stud-book wnll bring back returns in 

 sales, so that it is not entirely a debit item. 



Mr. Heppner further says: "I do not believe, gentlemen, 

 that any fair-minded American could conclude, however, that 

 because a man is an officer of the A. K. C. be should be de- 

 prived of the privilege of expressing his private opinion on 

 any subject whatsoev^er, even as to World's Fair judges." 



Mr. Heppner being undoubtedly a fair-minded American, 

 I ask him if the press of America has not the same right to 

 •express its opinion as he concedes to the A. K, C. Yet he has 

 expressed the opinion that it has not. 



Ml". Heppner's propo.sition to cau\ as among the delegates 

 to get the stud book fees reduced, provided someone else 

 would pay any deficiency, is too absurd for consideratiou. A 

 secretary is paid for doLug the work at a salary of §1,800 a 

 year, yet he is in the employ of another concern and only 

 gives the A. K. C. affairs such" time as he chooses. Yet one- 

 third of his salary is charged to the stud book. Before Mr. 

 Heppner makes any propositions of that kiud he should see 

 that it is not entirely a jug handled affair. 



In regard to the parts referring to Dr. Perry, I have every 

 -confidence that that gentleinau can easily take care of them. 



Unparalleled Brutality. 



In a letter to me, under date of July 7, Mr. J. T. Mayfleld, 

 ■of Bicknell, Ind., says: "A moat inhuman crime was com- 

 mitted in this place (Bicknell, Ind.) at 3 A. M.,July 7: 

 Geo. McLin had some dogs in charge to train. He had them 

 confined in a building 9 x ISft., with no window for ventilation 

 or yard for exercise. On July 6 a gentleman asked me if I 

 knew the condition of McLin's dogs. I did not, but 1 went 

 over with him to see them, and the sight I saw (after break- 

 ing the lock) was horrible. Four of them were dead, and 

 half eaten with maggots. The other four could walk, but 

 could not bark. I had xVIcLtu arrested for cruelty to animals. 

 He gave bonds in $200. This morning the building aud dogs 

 were burned. 



"Five of the dogs belonged to Mr. F. H. Perry, of Des 

 Moines, Iowa. Parties owuiug the others will please write 

 to me, or to Messrs. J. M. Freeman, Chas. Hoover, or Rev. 

 L. Peck, Bicknell, Ind. They can find out more about the 

 matter from them. I ask the owners to assist me in pushing 

 this case to the end. Don't delay." 



These are iicts so atrocious that words are empty and force- 

 less in denouncing them. Mr. Mayfield's call for action best 

 .expresses the situation. If money is necessary to carry on a 

 rigorous prosecution, the dog owners and handlers of this 



country should see that it is promptly forthcoming. Such 

 atrocious cruelty should meet a legal punishment so prompt 

 and swift that there will be the least possible interval be- 

 tween the crime and its punishment. The execration of 

 mankind should follow forever, It is inconceivable how any 

 man could so heartlessly leave a lot of dumb, helpless dogs, 

 gentle and loving by nature, to swelter in confinement and 

 die of hunger and thiVst. In his letter, Mr. Mayfield further 

 said that it was proven that McLin had not been near the dogs 

 for a week. Aside from the heartless cruelty exhibited, 

 there are serious business considerations involved. Taken 

 all in all, it is one of the crimes which occur betimes and 

 which have no measure of comparison, for they stand alone. 

 But the law can be invoked and the public can express its 

 loathing for a man who cannot be called a brute, for no brute 

 would do such an act. It properly is the domain of fiends. 

 All praise to Mr. Mayfleld for his act. 



I learn that Mr. W. S. Bell, of Pittsburgh, eminent as a 

 sportsman and fleld trial judge, has had misfortunes in his 

 kennel. Distemper caused the dea.th of two one-year-old 

 puppies, one by Count Eric — Tessie. the other by Dick (a 

 grandson of Co'unt Noble and Belle Gladstone). 



Automatic Register for Dogs. 



The following excerpt is taken from a letter written to me 

 by Mr. Royal Robinson, Indianapolis. It is a satire on the 

 sportsmen who advocate keeping a score card and determin- 

 ing a dog's qualities by addition and subtraction: 



"Two or three years ago I was favored by the inventor 

 -odth a diagram and explanatory notes of 'A Scrub's Auto- 

 matic Game Annunciator for Dogs, with the nose in the 

 wrong place.' It was a practical application of a very happy 

 idea, and I hoped the device would be put upon the market 

 and come into general use, especially upon field trial dogs, 

 where, as you know, something of that kind is badly needed. 

 Some cause, probably his well known modesty, has operated 

 to keep 'A Scrub' from doing anything with it, and the pub- 

 lic is the loser. 



"This little device, so useful upon a do^ of perverted 

 nature, suggests to me something which should prove of 

 great value to the fraternity, but I lack the mechanical 

 genius to put it in shape, hence I mu.st give the idea away. 

 I propose to put upon the dog a close-fltting, but very light, 

 electrical jacket with a convenient pocket for a score card, 

 upon which would be automatically registered the value of 

 his various qualities as shown while iu comxoetition. 



"The absolute fairness and accuracy of decisions reached 

 would commend this scheme to field trial patrons generally, 

 and especially to those who always have the best dog, but are 

 beaten by the judges. 



"Judges would no longer be needed except to lend dienity 

 to the head of the procession, and 'discretionary power,' that 

 bugbear which keeps our friend, 'A Scrub,' awake of nights, 

 would be killed at a blow. 



"The good people who have tried so long to devise rules 

 under which the dogs would be properly placed regardless of 

 the judges' qualifications, could take a long and much needed 

 rest, while they who have insisted that the relative merits 

 of two dogs could be as easily and accurately measured as 

 the contents of two wood piles, would say, 'I told you so,' 

 and the score card advocates would shout with glee. But 

 you know all this better than I do." 



Mr. J. T. Mayfield, of Bicknell, Ind., well known as a suc- 

 cessful trainer, writes me that he never saw breeding birds 

 more pl"ntifui. He says: "I find six and eight pair in 

 almost every stubble. A moat favorable condition for suc- 

 cessful running of the TJ. S. F. T. Club's trials. 



B. WATERS. 



909 Security Building, Ohicago. 



Where is the Spaniel as a Sporting Dog? 



EdUor Forest and Stream: 



Ever since the first letter appeared in your issue of March 

 3H, prefixed "Where is the Spaniel as a Sporting Dog?" I 

 have been pleasurably looking forward to a letter appearing 

 that I might exclaim, "Ah, there is a man aEter my own 

 heart; there is a man that shoots woodcock, and hunts them 

 with cockers, a man thoroughly conversant with the habits 

 of the bird, and the mode of hunting them with the cocker, 

 and that really does hunt them." I have waited in vain, for 

 I have not seen that letter yet. 



I .shall try to give my reasons for the above statement as I 

 go along. "Cocker" writes: "That the black dog is a pretty 

 fellow no one will deny; but who has shot over a black or 

 solid liver dog in the late afternoon of an autumn day and 

 not been thoroughly disgusted at his inability to distinguish 

 the dog from an inanimate lump of sod at twenty or thirty 

 feet ? With the old liver and whites this trouble of not being 

 able to distinguish the dog would be so little as to be almost 

 unappreciable." 



A solid black or a solid liver cocker can be seen long after 

 the shooter can see to kill a woodcock, a fact well known to 

 all woodcock shooters. 



"Solus" writes; "Staying at a farmer's house a few years 

 ago, I had the pleasure of seeing one pointer, one setter, three 

 field spaniels and at least a dozen cockers, nine of which were 

 modern and the balance 'very ancient,' work through a brier 

 swamp near by, etc." 



Heavens above! Fancy a sportsman (a woodcock shooter) 

 going out to shoot woodcock with fifteen spaniels, with a 

 pointer and setter thrown in. Why, in the covert "Solus" 

 describes, if there were fifty birds in it, fifteen good .spaniels 

 would have every bird up in five minutes. The writer says 

 the dogs were taken to tnis place not to find game but as a 

 test to the spaniels. A test for what? 



Another correspondent writes that the cocker cannot be 

 seen in thick cover. To this I would a.sk. At how many 

 woodcock out of one hundred killed over cockers are the dogs 

 in sight of the shooter when the birds were killed? My an- 

 swer to this question is, not fifty. Your cocker in a thick 

 covert may be within twenty yards of you and not visible. 

 What does it matter whether the shooter sees his dog or does 

 not when the woodcock flushes, the bird will tell you by his 

 loud whistle that he is up, and where he is. This is just as 

 absurd an objection to the cocker as any of the other objec- 

 tions that have been made. 



In your issue of June your correspondent, signing him- 

 self "It Seems to Me," writes: "There is a standard that any 

 man can understand, and a pretty good one at that, and it 

 seems to me that in at least two shows the working cockers 

 were placed over the toys, with a jolly row on paper in con- 

 sequence. It seems to me that not so long ago Mr. Bell dis- 

 puted this same statement that the dog show winners Avere 

 not hunters, and offered to wager good money that his dog 

 could hunt game as well as " mugs." Mr. BeU certainly 

 did issue a challenge to, I think, Mr. Keyes, of Ottawa, for a 

 field trial for cockers to take place during or after the field 

 trial hold at Chatham, Out., in the latter part of November, 

 but Mr. Bell, not being a woodcock shooter, any more than 

 Mr. Keyes, was not aware that after November there is not 

 to be found half a dozen woodcock in Ontario, if any. Mr. J. 

 Otis Fellows, in your issue of June 23, writes: " 'Spaniel ' is 

 all right, he knows something about a working cocker." I 

 am much obliged to Mr. Fellows for his opinion. My reason 

 for .saying that Mr, Keyes is not a woodcock shooter is that 

 he took no notice of Mr. Bell's challenging him to a fleld 

 trial for cockers late in November, jf course, I understood 

 the trial to be run on woodcock, woodcock being the only 

 bird except ruffed grouse that the cocker is u.sed for, and to 

 have a field trial on ruffed grouse at Chatham, Out., would 

 be simply ridiculous. A few sportsmen may and do (as I do 



myself) use their cockers for snipe, but it is not usual to do 

 so. Field trials with a pigeon in a basket as proposed in 

 FoEEST AS'D Stream, will not do at all. Field trials in the 

 coverts for the cocker would not be a fair test, as one dog 

 might be put down in a covert where there were several 

 birds; another dog in a covert which contained only one or 

 two, the next dog into a covert nil, and so on. Again an in- 

 ferior dog might get the covert with the greatest number of 

 birds, and being a wide ranger get up most of the birds by 

 merely stumbling on them. The covert, perhaps, being 

 thick, the judges might not see this, and likely not being 

 first-class judges (which, judging from the letters in FOKEST 

 AND Stream, are few and far between) might not notice 

 this defect, and award the prize to an inferior dog. 



Spaniel men that wish to have fleld trials for the cocker 

 can do so, and I am happy to tell them how to proceed. Pro- 

 cure a field or common of five, ten or fifteen acres — a pasture 

 fleld, if possible. Get a recently killed woodcock, tie a string 

 to one of its legs, and trail the bird from one end of the field 

 to the other. When near the upper end diverge to one side 

 about 50yds., still trailing the bird, and leave it there. Now 

 bring out a brace of the cockers entered for the trial, each 

 dog being accompanied by his master or trainer, and place 

 them in the fleld. Allow each man to work his dog as he de- 

 sires. When the dogs have worked the trail to the head of 

 the fleld where the trail diverged, discharge a gun and tell 

 the dogs to seek dead and find. Each brace can be tried in 

 the same manner, and the best picked out for a final trail. 

 The same plan can be followed in the covert. One-eighth of 

 an acre will suffice for the covert trial. For each brace of 

 dogs drag the bird freshly over the same trail or as near to it 

 as possible. Do not trail the bird all over the field, as that 

 would not be fair for the dogs coming after. After the above 

 trial is gone through, try the dogs at retrieving the wood- 

 cock. Stand and throw the bird from you. This will test 

 his mouth and retrieving powers. Take each dog out sep- 

 arately for this trial. Lastly, take the dogs to the water and 

 give them a trial at retrieving from the water, and do not 

 forget to stand well back from the shore and penalize the dog 

 heavily that on reaching the land leaves his bird there instead 

 of bringing it to his master. 



The above is written on behalf of the handsomest, most 

 affectionate and easiest taught dog in the world — the spaniel. 

 I hope my remarks will hurt nobody's feelings. If they do, 

 my excuse must be my great love for the spaniel, especially 

 the black cocker and black field spaniel. Spaniel. 



COOKSTOWN, Ont. 



The Rhode Island Show. 



The Rhode Island State Fair Association, Mr. Collins, the 

 secretary, tells us, have taken hold of the bench show in con- 

 nection with their annual State Fair, deliberately and 

 strongly, which has been something that for the past five 

 years they have been gradually bringing to such a point that 

 their sound and conservative committee would adopt. The 

 history of the introduction of dogs in the .State Fair dates 

 back to 1886, when the present president, Mr. Fred E. Per- 

 kins, was superintendent, the first year the department was 

 inaugurated. The association was poor and composed largely 

 of agriculturists, who could only see good in the valuable 

 breed of collie dogs, and to encourage the breeding of 

 those dogs in the State they oft'ered only diplomas. 

 Between twenty and thirty entries was the result. Since 

 then they gi'adually, year by year, added a few classes and 

 built a few benches in the poultry building. The interest, 

 locally, gradually increased, until last year they had in round 

 numbers 150 dogs exhilfited. Nothing was given iu prizes 

 except diplomas, and wins did not count. When the present 

 committee decided last December upon the reorsanization of 

 the State Fair, Mr. Perkins and Secretary Collins saw the 

 opportunity that they had so long waited for to push forward 

 the kennel interests. They looked the ground over and found 

 the dates of the fair cla.shed with no other organization, and 

 at once forwarded their check and applied for membership in 

 the A. K. C. Now that they find themselves in conflict with 

 the World's Fair management, a fact which they most sin- 

 cei'ely regret, it does not have any influence upon them other 

 than to stimulate them to make their present bench show a 

 creditable success. The poultry show occupies a build- 

 ing 155 by 60, and the bench show a new build- 

 ing, which is almost completed, 180 by 90. The great- 

 est fear has been that they would not be able 

 to do full justice to the exhibitors in the dog show. They 

 have therefore called to their aid the best possible assistance, 

 and chosen Mr. Walter J. Comstnck as chairman of the dog 

 show committee. They feel confl lent that his judgment in 

 many matters is most excellent. His ideas are good and he 

 works with a feeling of pride that he would like to have the 

 show one that would receive the approbation of kennel men. 

 Mr. Collins writes us: "We endeavor to be just and equit- 

 able to all exhibitors in every department. We are impartial 

 and without sentiment or prejudice in favor of any indi- 

 viduals or cliques. You will observe that while this may 

 lose some of the social features that exhibitors may enjoy ia 

 a dog show held alone, it has its advantages from a purely 

 business standpoint," 



Dispersal of a Noted Kennel. 



We are rather startled to hear that-owing to press of busi- 

 ness cares the firm of Toon & Symonds will dissolve partner- 

 ship. This firm has been familiar to all readers of show 

 catalogues dtiring the past couple of years, and we sincerely 

 trust the kennel will still be kept up by Mr. Symonds. The 

 dogs are all for sale and many of them are well-known 

 prize winners flt^ to strengthen any kennel. Some of the 

 noted ones are: Scotch terriers — Tiree, Rhuduman, Kilstor, 

 Scotch Hot, Highland Roy, Norwich Mouse, Gipsey Yet and 

 Bella II. Irish terrier.?— Jack Briggs, Manxman, Salem 

 Witch, Judy, Paddy Doolan and Cissey and the 7mos. puppies 

 by Jack Briggs out of Salem Witch. Among the pointers are 

 Devon Banger, in rare form and thoroughly broken. Anti- 

 cipation and Expectation, by Naso of Strasburg out of Ruby 

 VII., one of the best bitches when shown on the English 

 bench, having won a lot of first prizes aud specials. The 

 black and tan terrier team is well known aud includes 

 Prince Regent, Gipsy Girl, Rosette and Meersbrook Empress. 

 The St. Bernfird bitch Lady Monkton and the three pups by 

 Baron Rudolph also swell the list. The beagle bitch Jenny 

 Ijind, quite a nice one too, will seek a new home. Then 

 there are the whippets Boston Model and Perfection, and 

 Sheffield Lad, the Pomeranian. Two good smoth fox-terriers 

 in Endcliffe Spice and Lady Roseberry will also go, and so 

 will the wire-naired Barton Sting. Strange to say, of the 

 breed this kennel started out with— Yorkshire terriers — there 

 is only one left, Jenny, a capital specimen and a winner at 

 Boston. There are also some greyhounds iu the kennel, of 

 the names of which we have not been advdsed. Mr. Sy- 

 monds is getting up a descriptive catalogue and the doga 

 will shortly be on the market. 



A Canine Cyclone. 



Syractjse, N. Y., June 23.— The adlet was discontinued at 

 my request. Figuratively speaking, I became the center of 

 bewitched and bewitching dogs, all anxious to adopt me as 

 their master. Letters and printed matter came to me from 

 every point of the compass, offering bow-wows of all kinds 

 and degrees of excellence. I did not know that two or three 

 lines in Forest asd Stream could raise such a storm of 

 dogs— a cyclone, in fact. b. 



