April 13, 1895. 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
291 
The dog in domestication is a most useful animal in many- 
ways. His loyalty is so pure that he can be trusted witn 
liis liberty, and his intelligence is so great that he can he left 
to adjust himself unobtrusively yet correctly in domestic life. 
He acts as a brave and vigilant guardsman of his master's 
person, his family, his home and liis property, His devotion 
to his master is greater than his instinct of self-preservation, 
which is generally considered the strongest instinct of all in 
the animal world, for he will face any peril to guard his 
master or to guard from injury those he loves, in the fat- 
regions of the North, where snow and ice make a most cheer- 
less and uninviting region for man's habitation, the dog has 
a further usefulness in drawing sledges and thus affording a 
means of traffic and travel; and as an aid iu the chase, he is 
invaluable. 
But all the natural abilities, with which he is endowed for 
the capture and destruction of his prey, are for his own 
advantage in supplying the needs of his nature. His powers 
of scent and speed enable him to track his prey, and his 
activity, strength and natural weapons— his teeth — enable 
him to" kill it. The dog being of a nature susceptible of 
domestication, man, finding him a u set ul auxiliary, cultivated 
him for the same reason that he does the ox, the horse, and 
goats, sheep and poultry; that is, because it is profitable to 
do so, though from the dog's superior intelligence, affection 
and loyalty, man bestows more sentimental consideration on 
him than he does on any of the lower animals. 
In seeking his prey, tlie dog has to depend on the func- 
tional powers provided by nature, whicli, in domestication 
a ite precisely the same as those of the dog iu a wild state. 
He follows by the scent till the animal is sighted, when he 
tries to run it down by his superior speed. Dogs soon learn 
that they succeed far better and with greater safety to them- 
selves by hunting together. This they do intelligently. 
They learn to act not only as individuals, but as packs, each 
individual working complimentary .to the efforts of his fel- 
lows. The work of greyhounds running cunning is an 
illustration in point, as is also their manner of fighting a 
wolf, or small bear. While they have instinctive powers, 
their manner of applying them is intelligent. 
Now, in working to the gun, it is a common belief that the 
dog points instinctively, for man's pleasure. The reason 
commonly accepted is most flippantly defined as follows: 
Iu old times, the dog was used to follow birds and when near 
them was taught, to drop while a net was tnrown over him 
and them, to effect a capture. 
This is a most trivial explanation, and one hard to believe, 
since any practical shooter knows how difficult it would be 
to make any success of such methods. 
At length, as firearms improved the dog naturally de- 
veloped an instinct in consonance with the new order of 
things, and began to point. Such is the common explana- 
tion, one too absurd for serious considei'ation. 
Any dog, which seeks birds naturally, points because it is 
necessary for him to do so to make his attempts successful. 
He could not capture birds in any other manner. Of course, 
by careful selection, the instinct to point will be more uni- 
formly transmitted ;and will be more certain to appear in 
all the progeny, but the practical application of it is always 
intelligent. Hogs which have not even a remote claim to 
being bird dotrs, will learn to point them if given the proper 
opportunities, this, too, as a matter of intelligent observa- 
tion. 
The manner in which the. act of pointing is au assistance 
to the dog in effecting a capture, is easily explained. The 
birds run and when close pressed by the dog seek conceal- 
ment. The dog must at that juncture rely en tirely on his 
nose. As he draws closer, his muscles grow more tense, his 
eyes glisten and his manner shows determination. He in- 
tends to kill something. When he is near enough to spring, 
lie stops. There is still part of the problem to solve. But 
his stop is but suspended action. He must accurately deter- 
mine the exact whereabouts of the birds before making his 
final dash to capture. After he has located, or at least when 
he thinks he has done so, he makes a swift spring with 
wonderful agility. If he has miscalculated the whereabouts 
of the birds, his efforts are fruitless, for he springs in the 
wrong direction, the birds Hush and are gone. If he is over 
eager, and presses too close before making his point, the 
same result follows. By repeated failures he soon learns to 
observe proper caution. Every one who has had much 
experience with young dogs has observed these traits. Foxes 
and wolves employ the same methods. Man takes the dog, 
and by a system called training, educates the dog to work to 
the gun. It requires weeks to accomplish it. Much punish- 
ment is required in most instances before the dog will forego 
his own natural desire to capture the birds for himself. The 
training is one constant effort at repression in its main 
features. He is permitted to work to the culminating 
stages, wnen the man intervenes and diverts the dog's 
efforts to his own profit. Breaking in, breaking shot, chas- 
ing and (lushing are simple traits of the dog's original inten- 
tions, which crop out now and then with the best trained 
dogs. 
STANCHNESS. 
To those who have an interest in field trial competition 
and also to those who seek: a knowledge of what constitutes 
the proper manner of field work, Mr. Johnson's letter on 
Stanchness will be read with pleasure. I frankly admit that 
Mr. Johnson has scored a point on me in this matter, for no 
longer ago than last fall when I was his guest in Winnipeg 
— and by the way it seemed more like being at home so 
pleasant to me was my stay there — we talked over this same 
matter, and I then held that the dog should remain on his 
point while [the handler went forward and flushed. This 
was considering stanchness as it relates to a competition. I 
was apprehensive that, if the most rigid stanchness was not 
insisted upon, any departure from it would soon lead to 
anuses. By the way, while writing that article on stanch- 
ness, my remarks to Mr. Johnson recurred to me, and I won- 
dered whether he remembered it. His letter, of recent date, 
will show that he did. He says: 
*"I read Forest and Stream of March 30, in your article on 
'Stanchness.' in which you endorse Mr. Titus' opinion wheu 
he says: 'I do not know of a more useful position for a dog 
than "behind his ha ndler wheu he is going in to flush.' 
While I must congratulate you on your change of front. I 
must say that I dou't think that there is a more ridiculous 
position for a dog, than behind his handler when he is going 
in to flush. I have always claimed, and I think when you 
were judge at our field trials. I was ordered to flush and was 
told to flush myself and not let my dog flush. I said that 
my dogs were ta ught to tell me where the birds were. They 
were taught to be stanch until I came up, and then at com- 
mand to move up to a flush; that they could charge me with 
a flush, etc. I said: 'You can eharue me with what you like. 
Your extreme penalty only consists of my not being awarded 
a prize, but you cannot make me work my dog, only in the 
manner I think correct.' 
"Mr. Brailsford was more docile than myself, when he 
competed at the Eastern trials, which is explained best in 
his own words in a letter he wrote on his return home to 
the English Field, describing his experiences in America. 
He wrote: One peculiarity in American field tried judging 
deserves mention. When a dog points his handler is 
ordered to put up or flush the birds, and the dog is expected 
to remain pointing until this is done. As frequently 
happens, the poor man, devoid of the powers of scent, 
tramps about at random without accoinplising his purpose, 
and failing, he is then ordered to let bis dog go and 'locate. 1 
During the progress of the Derby, at the Eastern meeting, 
Cameron patted his dog while on point to lead him — 
Cameron— up to the birds, whereupon the presiding judge 
called us together and told us that this was not allowed. I 
replied: 'We will obey, but this is our English practice; and 
1 ask, Which knows best where the birds are, the dog with 
his powers of scent or the man without them? 1 
"My contention is that when you get to your dog, he must 
remain stanch until you get to him. He must move up at 
command and you must move up with your dog (the dog, 
say, half a length ahead of yon) t r - a flush. The nog must of 
course remain steady after the flush 
"I presume your change of opinion has come about in con- 
sequence of modern requirements; but did it ever occur to 
you that a good many of the modern requirements are 
ancient English practice? Once more, let me congratulate 
you on your good sense; for has it not been truly said that it 
takes quite a lor of courage to admit you were w.'ong. JSfo 
one has a greater respect for Mr. Titus' opinion or anything 
.appertaining to dogs than myself, yet I must disagree with 
his half measure of what a dog should do when you go inp 
to him on a point." 
There is one point in his letter which, while correct 
according to a strict intrepretation of Mr. Titus' statement, 
is not quite in accord with what Mr. Titus really meant, for 
his writing in this connection was moie a protest against 
usage at field trial and a protest against penalizing the dog 
for following behind his handler, than an attempt to define 
the true procedure. That I did not so understand it, I think 
Mr. Johnson will concede if he will permit me to call his 
attention to a sentence which I wrote in the same article, as 
follows: "If the birds are running when the handler walks 
past his dog, the. latter, if he be intelligent and correctly 
bandied, walks by his side, or a few feet ahead, leading on 
directly to the birds." Therefore I think that Mr. Johnson 
and myself agree perfectly on this matter. It is perfectly 
true, as Mr. Johnson says, that we insisted on stanchness as 
he, describes it;- but that was the usage then, and for that 
matter it is now in this country, though I hope to see it 
abolished to be suoerseded by one of more common sense. If 
an abuse of it were to crop out, the judges have it in their 
power to instantly adjust it While this matter is under 
consideration, it is but just to Mr. Johnson to mention that 
he has always maintained that the general usage and 
opinion were incorrect, and ^tie had the moral courage to 
stand openly by his convictions. Furthermore, he was 
almost alone from the first in stoutly insisting that dogs 
should work properly to the gun; that they should work 
without the frantic, noisy efforts of the handler, that au 
opponent's dog should not be, in any way interfered with, 
and that professional handlers were not eligible to member- 
ship in field trial clubs, simply because as interested parties 
it violated a principle of equity to have tlwmi in the mem- 
bership. 
REGISTRATIONS AND DISQUALIFICATIONS. 
Iu the March number of the American Kennel Gazette, 
there is the following query and answer: 
"O. P. H., Boston.. Mass. — If I purchase a dog from a man 
who has been disqualified, and the pedigree is a straight one, 
can I have the dog registered? I have heard that registra- 
tions as abo"e have been refused, and would like to know 
positively, as 1 have an opportunity to get a great bargain. 
"Answer. — A dog transferred by gift or sale, by a disquali- 
fied person, subsequent to his or her disqualification, can- 
not be registered. Rule XVII, Rules governing Clubs; and 
Rule XXIII, Rules governing dog shows, both provide 
that, 'The disqualification of an owner shall apply to all 
dogs owned by him.' At a meeting of the club held Febru- 
ary 23, 1893, it was 'Resolved, that the secretary be directed 
to refuse the privileges of the Stud Book to all persons under 
the penalties of suspension or disqualification.' " 
The last citation of the law of the A. K. C. is irrelevant as 
an answer to the question asked. It applies solely to the per- 
son unuer suspension or disqualification, and therefore is not 
pertinent. - 
The first quotation, that is, "The disqualification of an 
'owner shall apply to all dogs owned by him," has most cer- 
tainly a straiued and far-fetched interpretation in the answei 
given above. Of course, it is reasonable and proper that the 
disqualification of the owner should apply to dogs "owned 
by him," but when such disqualified owner sells a dog to 
another person, such dog is not then "owned by him." 
To interpret the rule as giveu in the official organ of the 
A. K. C, is contrary to the letter of it, and truly not iu con- 
sonance with its spirit. For it then not only punishes the 
offender, but incidentally it punishes an innocent party; that 
is, the man who contemplated a purchase. The dogs in 
themselves had committed no offense, and the only odium 
which attached to them was that of ownership; when that 
was removed there was no further reason for their disquali- 
fication. 
The disqualification of the man was a punishment, but to 
carry it so far as to interfere with his business or way of 
earning a livelihood, is on the borderland of vindictiveness. 
Moreover, it is an unwarranted interference with the rights 
of a man who is not under disqualification; for it in a man- 
ner dictates to him where he shall not buy, even though he 
wishes to do so in a legitimate transaction. 
But the reductio ad absurdum of tne interpretation is best 
shown by granting it as true. If "all dogs owned by him," 
are disqualified, then the rule is retroactive and applies to 
all dogs ever owned by the offender. A personal disqualifi- 
cation would thus work harm and hardship to many inno- 
cent parties. It is lacking in all principles of equity to 
assume that the disqualification of a dog, which rested en- 
tirely on bis ownership, carried over to all other ownerships. 
It would be just as reasonable to hold that the disqualifica- 
tion of a man also disqualified his brothers, cousins and 
uncles, or that the get of his dogs, though owned by inno- 
cent parties, was disqualified. 
No one will gainsay that an offense against the rules of the 
A. K. C. should be visited with proper punishment. The 
disqualification is such punishment. It denies the privileges 
of the A. K. C. in their direct and widespread collateral 
relations. Such is punishment enough. To carry it farther 
would hardly advance the best interests of dogs, nor could 
it then be justly called a true interpretation of the mission 
of a governing body. B. WATERS, 
N. B. C. Meeting. 
A quarterly meeting of the National Beadle Club of America, 
was held at the rooms of the American Kennel Club, 55 Liberty 
street, Friday, April 5. President H. L. Kreuder in the chair. 
The members present were: J. W. Appleton, H. L. Schellhass, 
A. D. Lewis, John Bateman and George Laick. 
The president stated that he, with Mr. H. W. Lacy, had laid 
the matter of the killing of Mr. John Bateman's dogs before 
the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Mr. 
Bateman then stated that the man who had killed his dogs had 
been brought to trial and convicted, and, on his recommenda- 
tion for mercy, the man was fined 810 . 
Voted that the secretary be instructed to thank the society 
for the part they 7 had taken in the matter. 
Voted that all members in arrears for dues be notified by the 
Treasurer to settle up their accounts with the club at once. 
Mr. Schellhass as a committee reported that new evidence 
had been received by the ,Stud Book Committee against John 
Jarvis and that the same is now to be investigated. 
Notice is hereby recorded that our delegate to the A. K. O, 
Mr. .Schellhass, has been elected by the American Kennel Club 
to the Stud Book and Field Trial Committee, and also to the 
Committee on Constitution and Rules. 
Voted that the list of official judges be brought before the 
annual meeting for revision. 
The president appointed Mr. Cleremont S. Wixom, r Covert, 
N. Y., as one of the official judges of the club in place of Mr. 
Pottinger Dorsey, and the secretary was requested to notify the 
American Kennel Club of that fact. 
GEO. W. ROGERS, Secretary. 
Hungry Dogs and Work. 
Central City, W. Va,— I would not invite disputation, but 
your staff correspondent thinks my opinion that the dog ought 
not to be kept iu keen hunger tbe live long day wbile pursuing 
game, is au error. I beg to make a reply. He says: "Underly- 
ing all the dog's effort is the impelling cause, namely, a hungry 
stomach. He is searching for a food supply." 
Applied to wild animals, his theory is good, but with the dog, 
man's appointed companiou, there is an impelling cause that 
seems almost to exclude the idea of the pursuit of game to 
obtain food for himself. I have not hunted with hounds, only 
with bird logs, and what I said was meant to apply to them 
more particularly. I never had one that hunted too slow; but 
they were generally over-eager, and I kept them well fed, but, 
observe, not gorged. I am sure they did not hunt for a food 
supply. But take the rabbit dog, the little terrier for instance. 
See the panting eagerness of the animal rushing from covert to 
covert! He catches his game, kills it, and leaves it. And the 
rat terrier; he pursues and kills the rodents with a gusto known 
to every one. But he eats not rats. They must therefore pur- 
sue for the very r love of pursuit. That this desire results from 
heredity, originating in man's first training of the dog, or a 
special trait given by Providence for man's use, we may decide 
as best suits us — the fact remains. My own motive was to 
insure the comfort of the dog in saying what I did. 
N. E. D. 
National Greyhound Club Meeting. 
" New York. — A meeting of the National Greyhound Club will 
be held on Friday evening, April 20, at 8 o'clock, at the Grand 
Union Hotel, Park avenue and Forty-second street, New York. 
At this meeting measures will be taken lo entirely reorganize 
the club, and the invitation to be present is not only extended 
to its members, but also to all who are interested in tne grey- 
hound, deerhound and wolfhound. By order of the President. 
C. F. LEWIS, Secretary. 
DOG CHAT 
The periodical scare of rabies, which impels people to 
believe that every dog which acts at all strangely is mad, 
seems to have begun with the springtime. April 4 had two 
instances of such delightful fright, ones which are eagerly 
sought. In the first case, the central figure was a dog run- 
ning along Bayard street. He was described as frothing at 
the mouth, and endeavoring to escape by running into a 
crockery store and seeking safety behind the counter. Po- 
licemen arrived and attempted to catch him. He endeavored 
again to escape and broke some crockery. The policemen 
lassoed him, and then led him away. The terrified creature 
soon broke away from them and was then followed by a mob. 
He sought safety in a dark hall. A policeman shot him. 
According to all time honored usage, it should have been 
stated that the persecuted animal was mad, but- instead it 
was said that it was not known whether the dog was mad 
or not. On the same day, a yellow dog, described hv a daily 
paper as frothing at the mouth, snapping at lamp posts and 
tumbling over the pavement, bit a man, and then sought 
safety iu concealment. The policeman gave his pistol to a 
young man with instructions to kill the dog, after he, the 
poilceman, had driven him from his hiding place. When the 
dog rushed out, the young man shot and hit a boy in the 
neck, fortunately making only a flesh wound. The police- 
man then killed the ferocious little yellow dog with his 
club. Then he arrested the young man. A stray dog and 
shooting at random are serious matters. 
Mrs. Fin De— Don't you know, Mr. Fin De, that when I 
observe your great love for your dogs and devotion to them, 
I almost believe you married me for love, and not for my 
money. 
Mr. Fin De— Oh, bosh! You silly thing. Don't you know 
my dogs are worth $25 a piece. See ! 
" A story has stared on its circuit. It is a good one from 
the beginning, and, with the embellishments gathered from 
a good itinerary, ought to be of the best at the finish. It 
happened in Boston; and of course, it is cultured. 'It sseins 
that, in the Eleventh precinct, there are people who buy 
milk. It also seems that the milkmen deliver it very early 
or the people rise later. Anyway, their milk cans and con- 
tents were taken from their door steps and were uevei' more, 
or no more. For two weeks, the wicked depredations 
mysteriously continued. The milkmen, whose occupation 
should place them above suspicion, were considered as acting 
in bad faith. One morning, after the milk had been de- 
livered, a policeman and a milkman watched in the afflicted 
district. They saw a dog. "Keep your eye on him," said 
the policeman. The subsequent porceedings are naively^ 
described as follows: "The dog paused before a doorway in 
which was a can of milk and then he walked slowly up the 
steps, "and smelled the can. In a moment he took the can in 
his teeth, walked down the street, and started off the way he 
had come. The policeman and the milkman followed at a 
short distance. They saw him turn into Armandine street 
and climb up into the veranda of a house. He set the can 
down for a moment and contemplated it, and then he picked 
it up in his teeth again and shook it gently. In a moment 
the wooden plug dropped out of the can, and, setting the can 
down, he proceeded to lap the milk from the can contented- 
ly. The men watched 'him until he had finished, and then 
thfiy saw him pick up the empty can in his teeth and leave 
the veranda. He passed down into the back yard, and out 
into a clump of bushes in the rear of the house. He was lost 
to view for some time, and then he came out again and pro- 
ceeded to the veranda, where he lay down and soon was 
asleep. The policeman and the milkman went out into the 
bushes to took around. There they discovered fourteen 
-empty milk cans." The villain escaped the just deserts of 
his crime against the peace and dignity of the State, as the 
sequel shows: "From Boston conies a tale of a dog who is a 
thief and who was caught in the act, arrested, taken to a 
police station, tried and finally liberated because no law 
applicable to four-footed criminals could be found." Prob- 
ably the dog was "mad." 
A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Canadian 
Kennel Club will be held at the Queen's Hotel, Toronto, on 
Friday, April 19, at 3 P. M. 
Another mournful incident illustrative of the readiness 
with which the ordinary man will have an emotional faith 
in his powers as a natural diagnostician, occurred recently 
at Katterskill, N. Y. In the main it is the old familiar story 
of a lost dog of a valuable breed, and of a man and a gun. 
The dog is peacefully seeking his way home. The man, who 
probably could not diagnose a wooden leg, sees the strange 
dog, and that is taken as sufficient evidence of the dog's 
madness and as a good chance to kill something. 3No doubt 
many dogs are killed maliciously. Many men are too ready 
to kill first and find a reason for it afterward. In the instance 
under consideration, Gov. Morton's St. Bernard Leo was the 
