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1 
POINTS AND FLUSHES. 
_ The lovers of the dog s may be breezy in their expres- 
sions of opinion among themselves once in a hundred 
years or thereabouts, but be this as it may they are dis- 
posed to make common cause against an invader. A 
correspondent who objects to the kennel department 
being called the "dark and bloody ground" writes us 
as follows: "I heard recently of a dog which found fif- 
teen bevies in three hours and pointed single birds like a 
hen picking up corn. If your friend Hough had only 
been along he would have deadened all the timber along 
Coonewah Greek and made the men who killed those 
geese in North Dakota feel as though they had fooled 
their time away. Still a field trial dog would not do to 
shoot over, and a thirst for gore such as Mr. Hough's 
will never be appeased shooting over meat dogs. It 
appears to me that a man who has lost bears, and even 
has the temerity to go and hunt for them, should not be 
allowed to allude to the kennel department as the 'dark 
and bloody ground'. A friend of mine who lives near 
where Mr. Hough killed his bear, tells of a hunter from 
Chicago who was with Bobo, and who killed a bear and 
tied it to his dugout (or rather his dugout he tied to the 
dead bear, as he took the tired bear to be) and then went 
to investigate a noise in the cane which sounded as 
though made by a bevy of bears. Failing to find any- 
thing, he returned for his bear, and was surprised to find 
both bear and dugout gone. Following the trail that 
seemed to have been made by his dugout being dragged 
off, he finally lost the trail at the foot of a very tall gum 
tree. Happening to look up, he espied about half his 
dugout sticking out of a hole in the tree 70ft. from 
the ground. It was some trouble to climb the tree and 
pull the boat and bear out of the hole, but he eventually 
retrieved both without danger or mutilation. I looked as 
though I doubted this tale, but I was convinced of its 
truth when the narrator offered to show me the tree." 
The American Kennel Club meeting is fixed for Thurs- 
day, the second day of the New York show, an unfortu- 
nate date in so far as several clubs will hold their meetings 
at the same time, and thus will not have an opportunity 
to instruct their delegates in matters of importance in 
respect to the A. K. C. If it is possible to postpone the 
A. K. C. meeting till a day later, it would be an advan- 
tage to all concerned. 
Under date of Jan. 24, the Muckross Kennels, Spring- 
field, Vt. , write us that they have started a beagle ken- 
nel, all hunting stock and from the best lines of blood 
obtainable. Three of their bitches are in whelp to noted 
dogs. The kennel will be represented by both beagles and 
setters at the New York show. 
Mr. J. Otis Fellows, of Hornellsville, N. Y., known to 
the fanciers by the endearing title "Uncle Dick," has 
begun suit against the express company for the loss of an 
Irish setter which was smothered in its crate en route to 
the Newburgh show. As the matter contains a principle 
of interest to all fanciers, and as Uncle Dick has all the 
pluck necessary to grapple with a big corporation, but not 
its resources, Mr. W. J. Higginson, Rochester, N. Y., has 
suggested that the brethren chip in to help Uncle Dick 
carry on the good fight, and as evidence of good faith he 
donates $5. Let the brethren hear and heed. 
From Mr. W. B. Meares, Jr., we have received some 
sketches, abounding in pleasant humor, from the deft • 
brush of Mrs. Meares, who, with Mr. Meares, followed and 
enjoyed the competition in the field trials at Newton. 
One portrays a misguided setter in hot pursuit of a rabbit 
in moments too precious to be wasted if prizes and honors 
are to be won. Another shows a dog ranging close to the 
line of the horizon and his handler is watching him with 
anxious expression. The third is entitled "Point, Judge," 
the dog pointing a bevy the wrong way for accuracy. 
Mr. W. B. Meares, Jr., Hillsboro, N. C, has sold his 
setter dog Joyful to Mr. J. Otto Donner, of New York. 
Joyful favorably distinguished himself in the recent field 
trials at Newton, N. C. 
Mr. L. W. Blankenbaker, of Louisville, is at Cherry 
Creek, Pontotoc county, Miss., where he has a number of 
dogs in training. He intends to start Lad's Lady in the 
trials if nothing unfavorable intervenes. 
Mr. John Armstrong, we learn, is making satisfactory 
progress in the schooling of Mr. Gould's pointers at Pheba, 
Miss. 
Quite a number of Pittsburg gentlemen are intending 
to visit the field trials at West Point. The Champion 
stake seems to have excited a field trial interest in a 
measure equal to that manifested a few years ago. 
Nine couples of basket beagles arrived on the steamer 
Martello on Jan. 23, consigned to Mr. A. Delancy Kane. 
These are intended particularly for sport afoot with the 
tiny hounds. Mr. Kane rides quite regularly with the 
Quaker Ridge Kennels in their runs. 
The constitution and by-laws of the Metropolitan 
Kennel Club can be obtained of the secretary, Mr. E. M. 
Oldham, care of Spratts Patent. 
At the curling bonspiel which was concluded in Dn- 
luth last week, that sterling sportsman, Mr. Thos. John- 
son, was a member of the rink which captured for the 
third time the Hall diamond medals, which are now the 
rink's property. Manitoba sent eight rinks of four men 
each, which were pitted against eight selected rinks made 
up of picked men of all American rinks, and Manitoba 
was victorious. 
Owing to delicate health Mr. Whyte Bedford has dis- 
posed of nearly all his kennel of setters, and is consider- 
ing whether to quit field trial interests entirely or not. 
He may remain at West Point after the trials and enjoy 
the shooting which there obtains and also at the same 
time enjoy the curative benefits of West Point's artesian 
water. All good dogmen like pure water and abundance 
of it. 
We are informed that Capt. Joseph H. Dew intends to 
be present at the forthcoming field trials at West Point, 
