Dec. 9, 1893.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



BOS 



THE BULLDOG. 



With the single exception of the fox-te)Tier, it can confi- 

 dently be asserted that the old English bulldog is the popu- 

 lar dog of the world, notwithstandiHg the fact that it has 

 for very many years past been the most maligned animal of 

 the genios cards. Having been unfairly stigmatized as a 

 ferocious dog and "incapable of any education" whatsoever, 

 the bad name has stuck to the bulldog like glue, and even in 

 these enlightened days people are to be found who entertain 

 the most absurd notions respecting a bulldog's character 

 and disposition, and which, needless to relate, are quite the 

 reverse of the real truth. 



Whatever degree of ferocity the dog which was employed 

 for baiting the bull may have possessed, its savage fierceness 

 does not appear to us to have been directed against mankind, 

 but against its foe, the bull, and we find very serious fault 

 ■with the historians of the past for not having made this per- 

 fectly clear. From the language employed by most of the 

 old writers on bulldogs the student is left with the strong 

 impression that the bulldog was akin to a man-eating tiger, 

 and this solely in consequence of the dog's valiant deeds of 

 daring when en gaged in combat with a mad bull. According 

 to the Sportsman Co.hiiiet, the first well authenticated bull- 

 baiting took place during the reign of King John in 1209 at 

 Stamford, in Lincolnshire, and originated in the following 

 circumstance: "William, Earl Warren, Lord of Stamford, 

 standing upon the walls of the castle, saw two bulls fighting 

 for a cow in the castle meadow, till the butcher's dogs pur- 

 sued one of the bulls entirely through the town. This sight 

 so pleased the Earl that he gave the castle meadow, where 

 the bulls' combat began, for a common to the butchers of 

 the town, after the first grass was mowed, on condition that 

 they should find 'a mad bull' theday six weeks before Christ- 

 mas for the continuance of 'that sport for ever.' " 



Bull-baiting seems to have flourished at Tutbury, in Staf- 

 fordshire, from 1374 to 1778, while it went on very extensively 

 in London, BirminghanQ, Stafford, York, Shefiield and Cred- 

 iton down to the passing of the act for the prevention of 

 cruelty to animals in 1835. 



The bulldog appears to have been in favor all over the 

 world long before the present century, and the "fumner" 

 seems to have been as keen in the year 1800 to acquire speci- 

 mens of the English bulldog as he is in the year of grace 

 1893, for a writer of the former period says of the bulldog: 

 "The breed is not so numerous In consequence of the great 

 number purchased and transported to other countries, for 

 which the most enormous prices have been given." 



The same writer, in describing the character-istic attributes 

 of the breed, says: "It is a distinguishing and invariable 

 trait in the true bred bulldog to attack the animal in front, 

 and never to make a cowardly attempt at the extremities. 

 The dog whose breed has been preserved genuine and uncon- 

 taminate aims at, and makes most ferociously for, the face 

 of the bull, and, sinking to the ground the nearer he ap- 

 proaches, makes a desperate effort to seize upon the lin, as 

 the most tender seat of irritability and excruciating pain, if 

 he succeeds in the attempt; failing in which he relaxes _ not 

 in his efforts, but with the most incredible and determined 

 fury fastens upon the tongue, the eye, the underjaw, the 

 throat, or some part about the hfad or face (never degrading 

 his character by making a pusillanimous attempt behind), 

 where, having secured his hold, he i-etains it beyond the 

 power of description, in opposition to every energetic and 

 desperate effort of the bull to get himself disengaged, " 



Although very few of the present day bulldogs have 

 been permitted by their owners to try their luck with a 

 bull, there can be no manner of doubt that a large num- 

 ber of our best show specimens would .sustain the reputa- 

 tion of their ancestors if encouraged to attack a bull. 

 The heart is still in them, but as a good bulldog is now 

 worth on the average about three or four sovereigns per 

 pound weight (the su7u paid for Dockleaf was equivalent 

 to six sovereigns for every sixteen ounces), the value acts 

 as a deterrent to sport of any kind -svith them for fear of 

 their receiving a disfigurement which would operate to their 

 detriment in the show ring. But, as we said before, some 

 bulldo.ti men know that the heart is still in the breed, for 

 they have tried their dogs at big game. Not so very long 

 ago' we were strongly of opinion that the breed had lost its 

 proverbial iduck, bttt experiences (which for obvious reasons 

 cannot be made public) have disabused the erroneous im- 

 pressions we had formed , and we now are strongly of opinion 

 that several of the be.st show specimens of to-day would, if 

 required, emulate the prowess of the old bull-baiters from 

 whom they are descended. A large number of the dogs on 

 view this week at the Aquarium can claim as their ancestor 

 the dog whose owner was wicked enough to make a wager 

 "that he would, at four distinctintervals, deprive the animal 

 of one of his feet by amputation; and that after every indi- 

 vidual deprivation he should attack the bull with his previous 

 ferocity; and that last he should continue so to do upon his 

 raw stumps." 



The recorder of the above fact says, "The experiment was 

 made and the result sufficiently demonstrated the truth of 

 the prediction." Strange to say, the scene of this .shocking 

 experiment was the site where the Uoyal Aquarium now 

 stands, i. e.. Old Tothill Fields, Westminster. Doubtless 

 owing to the fact that the old writers failed to properly 

 express their meaning when Avriting of the bulldog, the 

 breed fell somewhat into disrepute, and we are bound to 

 confess that about thirty or forty years ago the bulldog was 

 not associated with— well, let us say— the aristocracy of this 

 country, whose companion it is our pleasing duty to record 

 the national dog of England to-day. Somewhere about the 

 year 1875 a body of geurlemen, of whom the prime movers 

 were (Inter a I id) Messrs. J. A. Berrie, Vero Shaw, C. P. W. 

 Crater, .1. Saudell and others, formed a club for furthering 

 the interests of the bulldog, and since that date the breed 

 has steadily grown in popular estimation until it occupies 

 the proud position in the lienuel world that it does at the 

 present time. The Bulldog Club has spent large sums of 

 money in bringing the virtues of the bulldog prominently 

 before the public, and by dint of a plucky perseverance and 

 holding of a grand exhibition of the breed at frequent intervals 

 in the principal public re.sorts, one of the quaintest and most 

 amiable species of the eauine race has been rescued from 

 sinking into oblivion, and the trtie nature and character of 

 the bulldog have been firmly implanted upon the minds of 

 those who, through the shortcomings of past historians, were 

 wont to regard this ancient breed as one of the most repul- 

 sive and dangerous auiniuls in the whole of the animal crea- 

 tion The Inilldog is admirably adapted as a townsman's 

 dog, as it does not need galloping exercise like most dogs do, 

 and a daily walk with its master is sufiicient to keep a bull- 

 dog in form. As a playmate for children we can positively 

 assert from experience of many years' duration no dog can 

 excel the bulldog. Kind and gentle in its every action, it 

 «njoys a romp on the carpet or grass as much as would the 

 greatest tomboy that ever lived. There can be no doubt 

 whatever that, as a protector of life and property, our friend 

 the bulldog will take some beating. Few if any strangers 

 but what have a wholesome dread of a bulldog, and rhere- 

 foro it is quite easy to believe the old Staffordshire farmer 

 who, writing to the newspapers, said that "he had found 

 from long experience that two good bulldogs loose in his 

 yard did hiuch more toward making his neighbors honest 

 than did all the parson's preaching.'' That acknowledged 

 authority on dogs, "Stonehenge," paid the bulldog a high 

 compliment when he wrote "that not only was it the most 

 courageous dog, but the most courageous animal in the 

 world," and when to this character it is added that the btill 

 dog is" at the same time gentle, amiable, devoted to its mas 

 er, and never known to snap or snarl unless urged by it 



t 



master or mistress so to do, it will readily be realized tha 

 the bulldog is indeed a staunch and ttseful friend to man. 



The following rhyme, which appeared in the Stock-Keeper 

 so long ago as the year 18S.5, very cleverly and correctly de- 

 scribes the bulldog's character, and that, combined with its 

 humorous and pathetic tone, entitles the poem to the highest 

 place in the bulldog man's memory: 



EPITAPH ON OLD CHARLEY, 



A HRINDLE AND WHITE BULLDOG, BY HIS OWNER, THE REV. JAMES ADCOCK' 

 SEPT. 1, 1859. 



This lowly spot, inscribed with Charley's name. 



Acquires fresh interest from his well-earned fame. 



For while he lived no sturdy rogue or thief 



Approached the tiouse to supphcate reUef ; 



And many a time has laughter made me weep 



To view his horror of an unwashed sweep. 



Yet had lie not the shadow of a fear, 



Nor heeded odds when other dogs were near; 



Venus and Mars held o'er him equal sway, 



And either call he scorned to disobey. 



His knotted shoulder and his vise-like jaw 



Serv'd well to keep the mongrel curs ia awe; 



But when some worthier rival grac'd the stage, 



Full of high mettle, void of needless rage. 



He'd dare the onset, nor would seek retreat 



Till prostrate lay that rival at his feet. 



His pluck and bottom were above all praise, 



And scars the prowess told of bygone days ; 



Yet was he ever faithful, ever true — 



Gentle and playful as a kitten too. 



Curious in food, how fond was he of cake 1 



And every sort of biscuit one could bake! 



Whilst with a nut to see him was a treat— 



He'd crack the shell and then the kernel eat. 



But now at length invidious disease. 



In league with time, has wrought his health's decease, 



And chemistry, in shape of prussic acid, 



Hath stopped his breath, and rendered him quite placid . 



Charley, farewell 1 and as thy looks no more 



Shall scare the beggar from thy master's door, 



So all who knew thee best shall fondly tell 



How kind a heart did in thy bosom dwell. 



Peace, then, to his remains ! Here Charley lies, 



And if his race can claim a Paradise, 



May he I he best of kennels there obtaiDj 



And live to bark and play and fight again. 



The bulldog which was used for baiting the bull had the 

 unsightly habit of invariably showing its teeth, in consequence 

 of the lower jaw protudtng to so great an extent that the lips 

 could not cover them. We are rather inclined to think that 



this natural " showing of the teeth " came to be regarded by 

 the uninitiated as indicative of rage and anger, and it a,s- 

 sisted in keeping up the bad name which the bulldog has 

 been most unfairly given for ferocity. The Bulldog Club, 

 thei'efore, when it drew up a standard description of a per- 

 fectly-formed pure-bred old English bulldog, made it essen- 

 tial "the teeth should not be seen when the mouth is 

 closed." The bulldog, as described in the standard drawn 

 up by the club, portrays a dog beautiful in outline of body 

 and with head and facial details of surprising quaintness 

 and interest. It was soon found that the task of breeding 

 bulldogs to accord with the standard was a very, very diffi- 

 cult one, and not so many years ago it became the practice 

 of a few men who could not breed a perfect bulldog to en- 

 deavor to manufacture one, and to this "art" the term 

 "faking" was applied. Thanks to the Kennel Club, "fak- 

 ing " of dogs is now almost extinct, for the severity of the 

 penalty for the practice of the "art " is so great that it has 

 acted as a complete deterrent to those who were not, above 

 the commission of the crime of faking. It may possibly in- 

 terest not a few readers if we recapitulate a few of the fak- 

 ing dodges which used to be practiced on the unfortunate 

 bulldog in order to make him capable of wirming a prize. 



The chief dod^^es employed by the " faker " consisted of 

 beating or punching the top lips of the dog a day prior to the 

 show in order to make the flesh swell and so improve the size 

 of the muzzle, an alternatiNe method fortius being the appli- 

 cation of an irritant medicament which would similarly cause 

 a swollen state of the lips. Plugs were employed for fitting up 

 the dog's nostrils — the size of the nostril being a point of im- 

 portance in the breed ; one nostril was "plugged'' one day and 

 the other the next. The muscles of the ears ^vere cut in prick- 

 eared specimens in order to obtain the correct "rose" shaped 

 ear. The most fiendish act of all, though, was the process of 

 shortening the nose, for Avhich purpose an instrument of tor- 

 ture called "jacks" was employed. This consisted of a per- 

 forated plate of metal which was .shaped so as to fit the 

 whole of the nose; this plate had two strong cords attached 

 to it, which passed to a specially constructed collar. The 

 metal plate being applied to the nose, was tightened up each 

 day tmtil the cartilage of the nose was squashed up close to 

 the forehead. This inhuman practice started when the vic- 

 tim was about five months old, and the processof shortening 

 the face generally lasted for several months. Huge pads 

 were employed for putting under the pup's shoulders for the 

 purpose of causing them to stand well away from the ribs in 

 the orthodox manner, and the way of getting the low-to-the- 

 ground appearance consisted in compelling the pup to sit in 

 a pen in which, from itsheight, it was impossible for the dog 

 to sit upright, and by this means the pup's legs were given a 

 bowed appearance, and consequently the adult did not have 

 too much daylight under him. 



The faking" of the tail was probably the most frequent tor- 

 ture the bulldog had to endure. According to the club's 

 standard the tail of a bulldog should not from its shape be 

 capable of being raised over its back. Now, for some years 

 cock tails were the rule rather than the exception, and in or- 

 der to drop the tail one method was to cut the muscles o<" the 

 tail close up to the rump, and then sear the incision with a 

 hoc iron, while another was to disjoint the tail and pull it 

 every day for mouths, until it was impossi le for it to ever 

 get into union again.— Licensed Victuallers' Gazette, 



The English Kennel Club Show. 



It is always interesting to hear what the judges say of tne- 

 dogs they pass upon, and in the case of the show recently 

 held by the E. K. C. at the Crystal Palace it is e.«pecially so,, 

 as in a majority of the breeds it was a show of England's 

 best. 



Bloodhounds, Mr. William Foster, the judge, avers in the 

 English Kennel Gazette, were the largest entry and the best 

 lot ever exhibited. The well known Burgundy, owned by 

 Mr. Brough, was beaten by Bowne's Statesman, a grand 

 young hound, though the judge in seeing Burgundy on the 

 bench afterward thought him hardly used, and from this 

 Burgundy's owner derives his sole consolation in defeat. 



"Mastiffs, taken as a whole," says W. Norman Higgs, "I 

 thought a great deal better than what we have seen lately at 

 our large shows, and cripples were conspicuous, T am pleased 

 to say, by their absence, although in one or two cases some 

 did not move so well as I could have liked." Open dogs was 

 the principal class here, and the fight lay between the old 

 champion, Mr. Taunton's Beaufort and Dr. Turner's Ayr- 

 shire, the winner in "limit" dogs. Mr. Higgs writes: 'Con- 

 sidering that Beaufort is now in his tenth year, I think it is 

 simply wonderful to see how well the old dog looks. He cer- 

 tainly moved a little faulty in the ring, but I put this down 

 to, in a great measure, a nasty running kennel sore. With 

 this exception and his age, I could not find much the matter 

 with him, and I consider him to be the most perfect mastiff' 

 I ever saw." Beaufort, it will be remembered, spent a year 

 or two of his career in this country in Mr. Winchell's kennel^ 

 and although he was not used by breeders as freely as he 

 should have been, it will scarcely be gainsaid that his in- 

 fluence on the breed in this country, though unfortunately 

 not so extensively used as Minting or Ilford Caution, has 

 been very great, an influence that is now being carried on by 

 his son, Beaufort's Black Prince. Osburga II. won in the 

 corresponding bitch class and also the 0. E. M. C. Breeders' 

 Challenge Prize. Beaufort took the Dog Championship 

 medal, but not being eligible for the O. B. M. C. Dog Forty- 

 Guinea Challenge Cup, having already won it six times, this 

 fell to Ayrshire. 



Irish wolfhounds do not interest fanciers on this side so we 

 pass them over. 



In deerhounds the winner in the novice class, Bossie 

 Byron, was also first in limit class, but the best in the breed 

 is W. H. Singer's champion Swift, who had a gala day. Of 

 him Mr. R. Hood Wrignt^says: "He is built on grand lines, 

 shows himself full of da"sh"and fire and it will take a good 

 one to lower his colors." Of the best bitch, E. W. Bell's 

 Rossie Blue Bonnet, the judge remarks, "She is just about 

 perfection. When younger she was too narrow, but since she 

 has been bred from she has altered in this respect, and may 

 divide the honors with Swift as being one of the two best of 

 the present time." 



In Russian wolfhounds the Duchess of Newcastle's Golub 

 and Milka were the bright particular stars of the competi- 

 tion. Golub was in grand form and showing his beautiful 

 neck. This dog has been accused of being wanting in that 

 point owing to the heavy covering of hair. Of the winning 

 bitch Milka Mr. Wright says: "The lovely and large Milka 

 was alone. She has such a perfect formation both in body, 

 head and feet that one forgets her want of coat, and what I 

 do like is a big one, full of quality, and she comes up to this 

 standard, and to her I awarded thechampion medal." A new 

 one appeared here in open bitches, "the beautiful Sudarka," 

 whom Mr. Dobbelmann brought over from Rotterdam, Hol- 

 land. She is only beaten by Milka in skull formation and 

 the least bit in outline. 



Evidently it is about time the English fanciers founded a 

 chow-chow club and arranged a standard. There were a 

 dozen specimens shown here and the jtidge acknowledges 

 that he did not feel at home with the Chinese. There are as 

 yet no rules laid down as to the best color or nothing to 

 guide one in other points. In the foreign dog class, always a 

 puzzler to judges, Mr. Wright bunched the prize winners, 

 divided the dogs into four groups and picked the best from 

 each. Yezo, the exponent of the new breed, that Mr. Raper 

 gave first to at Edinburgh, was soon picked out for repeti- 

 tion. 



Greyhounds. Here the same judge felt more at home, and 

 Mr. Raper's Real Jam seems to have been aptly named, for 

 she took the cake; in fact, all of them nearly — limit, open 

 class and the champion medal. She is described as a "sim.ply 

 lovely bitch, covering a lot of ground, with grand neck and 

 shoulders, perfect feet, and shown in the pink of condition." 



Beagles, also judged by Mr. Hood-Wright, do not seem to 

 have called for much enthusiasm. Mr. E. B. Joachim's 

 Reader appears to have been the best, taking the champion- 

 ship. He IS full of quality, with lovely ears, good body and 

 feet. There were some rough-coated ones shown, too. Mr. 

 Nutt's Pulborough Trusty proving the best here, "nice and 

 level, with good ears and expression." We should like to. 

 have given more particulars in this breed, but the judge de- 

 votes little space to them, and his descriptions are not very 

 instructive. He judged them by gaslight, and acknowledges 

 he did not satisfy either himself or the exhibitors in this 

 breed and in whippets. He gets in a good grumble on the 

 stewards, and as it is applicable to some extent in some of our 

 shows, we quote him: "Not a single committeeman or ring 

 steward came near me after lunch, and I had to do both ring 

 steward's and judge's Avork. Now, if one is judging breeds 

 not perhaps so popular as some, it is not courteous to leave a 

 judge at the far end of the Palace entirely to his own devii es, 

 while in the, well, say mo.st popular class, half a dozen ring 

 stewards and committeemen assisted, not only in their own 

 legitimate work, but were so anxious lest the judge should 

 reverse, that they told what this particular exhibit had done in 

 the previous class or classes. Now, I call that real kindness." 



Pointers were an average collection. About a dozen nevv 

 faces appeared. There was, however, nothing amon^ them 

 with sufficient merit to lower the colors of previous winners. 

 Sanford Bang and Sanford Graphic, old winners, were on 

 hand. 



The judge, Mr. E. C. Norrish, gives a very good report 

 from which one can gather an excellent idea of the more 

 prominent dog's good points and faults. The winner in the 

 winner's class for bitches, Mr. Chapman's Heather Bee, had 

 to give way in the open class to R. S. Bryan's Molton Bronte, 

 of whom Mr. Norrish writes: "Looked at as a show bitch, 

 Bronte is very nearly perfect, although her neck would have 

 a more stylish appearance if a trifle longer and cleaner in the 

 throat." She captured the champion prize for best pointer 

 of all classes, and also with Molton Belle divided with Mr. 

 Brough's pair of bloodhounds the honor of being the beat 

 brace of sporting dogs in the show. 



The judge of Irish setters, Mr. Charles Austin, delivers 

 himself of some opinions relative to this breed that are 

 interesting in view of the marked improvement the Irish 

 setters ha-ve made in this country. Mr. Au.stin says: "The 

 mo.st noticeable point in the Irish setters seems to be the 

 great variety of types one sees, and the variety is more 

 marked in the heads than in anything. In spite of the 

 Irish setter description, one does not .see many heads with 

 stops or deep .square muzzles, etc. In fact, one of the pre- 

 vailing types seems to be a head in which the top of the 

 skull and the end of the nose were in the same plane as it 

 were, making a long, flat head without any sort of stop. 

 And as this sort of head is usually tapered "fjff to the muz- 

 zle the general effect is that the animal has a sort of sheep- 

 dog-like look. Then there are Roman no' es and very much- 

 cut-away uuderjaws. All the.-ie poiuL.-i are most objectionalde 

 in any setter, but I regret to .say 1 s;iw several of them in 

 the ring. Th? majority of dogs 1 had before me were good 

 in coat, body and color, but in several instaacea the feet 

 and legs were not all that could be wished," 



