A68 
FOREST AND STREAM, 
[June 8, 1895. 
COUKSING INCIDENTS. 
making bad and good runs? The great Gladstone bad no 
such record. Nor yet had the great Count Noble. But 
then they lived in a different age, when the opportunities 
to make records were fewer. 
Then there is the great Strideaway. The best setters, 
the cream of the land, went down before him like the 
autumn leaves before the storm. He furnished quick re- 
cords while the setters were busy with quick excuses. 
But are there many setters of his age with such records? 
I say no. 
Tnen there was the great and noble Kent Elgin. His 
sad ending can never be enough deplored. A great dog, 
a grand dog, a loss to the pointer breeders which cannot 
soon be filled. No setter could meet him as a superior. 
He was of the best and equal to the best. Though his 
life was short, it was brilliant. He was a field dog:, a 
great dog ; not a great dog as compared to a breed, but 
great as compared to all breeds. 
Considering the odds in numbers, the records prove that 
the pointers are beating the setters. New lines of breed- 
ing and more plucky competition are bringing forth the 
inevitable results. The tide is on the turning point, and 
it will not be long before the pointer is the dog of fashion 
as he is now in fact the dog of merit. He is better and 
more carefully bred than the setters. His intelligence is 
greater. Ignorant or reckless inbreeding has not weak- 
ened his constitution nor shrunk his brain. His interests 
have been in the hands of a few. They were a skillful 
few. Their skill and patience have brought them reward. 
Many other pointers of fame could be mentioned. They 
are all dogs of great merit. I started with no intention 
to name all the good dogs. I mean to call attention to a 
fact. The pointer is no longer the clown of the field. He 
is near to being the master. Pointer. 
A Champion Stake. 
Wavebly, Miss. — Editor Forest and Stream : I inclose 
you for publication a letter from Capt. McMurdo. I have 
not received the encouragement I expected, but have 
some nice letters from some on the proposed stake. I am 
not easily disappointed , and shall try to stir up the hand- 
lers a while longer. I have no dogs to run myself, and 
am only interested to the extent of a breeder and hand- 
ler. 
Charlottesville, Va., May 19.— Mr. Titus: In reply 
to your letter calling upon the members of the Associa- 
tion of F. T. Handlers to write you on the subject of getting 
up a Champion stake as you propose, I can only say that 
I think it is a very good idea, and hope that it may be 
successfully carried out. For breeders who are capable 
of appreciating the immense value it would be to them 
to have such a good opportunity of judging for them- 
selves what stud dogs are the most desirable to breed their 
bitches to, it would be a great boon. 
No dog can run for four hours in a good bird country 
without showing what he amounts to, and whether he 
wins or not he will have the chance of establishing a rep- 
utation for himself. 
I cannot think of anything in particular to suggest ex- 
cept that, as the trial must (owing to the necessity of having 
long heats) be a protracted one, it will be desirable to 
make such rules as will prevent any unnecessary loss of 
time; for instance, in case any duffers should be started, 
that as soon as all the judges are agreed that they are 
such, they Bhould be ordered up and out. 
Separate trials for pointers and setters would of course 
be satisfactory, but if they protract the trial considerably 
I think it would be well to have the question considered. 
If the competition is composed of nothing but really 
high class dogs, it will be intensely interesting; but if any 
number of them should be ordinary the spectators will 
get sick of it and quit. 
You see my idea is that it will be most important to 
prevent what must be a long business, being necessarily 
so.— C. E. McMurdo. W. W. Titus. 
Working Beagles- 
Georgetown, N. Y. — Editor Forest and Stream : Since 
writing for your interesting paper two or three months 
ago, beagle items have seemed scarce, so perhaps it would 
not be intruding to again venture an opinion or two con- 
cerning working beagles. 
Now in regard to a hunter, a broken beagle, give me 
one that 1 can take to the brush, sit down on a log, and 
the dog knows enough to start and follow a rabbit and 
stick to it without my following him up to keep him 
going. 
I am too lazy to run the hound in order to have the 
hound run the rabbit. This applies to a broken dog, not 
a puppy, as a young dog is apt to be timid, and must have 
the assurance of the master's presence, or a broken dog 
to run with. 
I call no beagle a good hunter that does not go to work 
as soon as freed from restraint, if it is to run nothing more 
than a mouse; for if he has the requisite propensities he will 
not follow, a perfect picture of docility, at your heel and 
wait for you to start the rabbit. Just one hour of such 
work as that, considering my excitable disposition, would 
retire him to his kennel or his grave forever. 
Now, allowing we have a worker, we patiently await, 
after reaching tbe brush, the starting of the rabbit. His 
presence is soon made known by the silver-tongued voice 
of the hound. Then, if his scent is not at fault and he 
has hunting sense and a level head to guide him, Bunny 
must soon be on foot for parts unknown. Two to one he 
makes one or two turns to get bis bearings, and to throw 
off the hound if possible, which, finding impossible, he flies 
to the farthest end of the brush, and there makes turn 
after turn while you are working and puffing to get up to 
the hunt. But stop a moment ! If the dog is a true, 
strong scented, resolute hunter, and can follow without 
fault, the rabbit will probably soon be back near his start- 
ing point, so you might as well stay where you are and 
listen to the music. If the dog is a quitter, or if his nose 
is at fault, or if he is unable to run a double circle, you 
had surely better stand still and save your strength, as 
the dog will soon come and the hunt be up. 
Oh, by the way, somebody spoke about speed. Well, if 
the dog isn't a sticker or hasn't tbe best of scent, the faster 
he runs the sooner he'll be back to you without the rab- 
bit. Allowing he is a sticker, and has the best of scent, 
combined with a good deal of intelligence, he will not 
run faster than, by his sense of smell, he knows he is 
right. 
Give me a. strong, resolute, active, intelligent, sure- 
cented dog, who loves the chase and runs steady and true, 
and sticks till the hunt is over. I have no objections to 
the speed of any beagle under 15in., provided none of the 
above-named requisites are sacrificed to obtain it. As 
any animal will redouble its efforts to escape the more 
scared it becomes, it stands to reason it will get as far 
from the danger as possible. So the rabbit will make 
larger circles ahead of a fast sure dog than a slower one. 
Take the fox for example, — he will simply play with a 
pair of beagles, thus giving the foot hunter every oppor- 
tunity of catching up and getting a shot, while ahead of 
a fast running fox hound he very often is not seen after 
the start is made. The faster the dog the larger the circle, 
and the less shots for the hunter. J. F. Stoddard. 
Amateur Fox Hunter, 
Syracuse, N. Y. — Editor Forest and Stream: In a 
well-known sportsman's house in central New York, where 
the sportsmen are wont to gather in the inclpment days of 
winter and shoot partridges up among the pink and black 
COURSING INCIDENTS. 
wads on the upper shelves, or flush a woodcock down 
among the shot bags back of the counter, or run a fox 
around the stove, on a Saturday night during one of our 
violent snowstorms a couple of veteran fox hunters were 
running a fox around the stove to the great amusement 
of the other sportsmen. They were also making 
arrangements for a hunt the following day, when oni 
of the listeners, an amateur hunter who was very much 
interested, asked permission to accompany them. The old 
veteran replied that he did not wish to take any one who 
did not understand the business, as it was impossible to 
keep them where they should be and it was also im- 
possible to shoot a fox when a man was along th<it did 
not understand the business. 
But Mr. Amateur did not wish to be put off in that way; 
he promised that if the veterans would let him go he 
would do just what they said and stay just where they 
put him; so it was arranged in that way. 
The next day opened clear and fair, a model day for 
a fox hunt. So Mr. Haywood (as I may call him) took 
his horse and sleigh, put in his two dogs, drove to the 
amateur's house, jumped in and drove to the old veteran's 
home. In company with him and his fox dog, we started 
for the Indian land, the south part of Onondaga county. 
Mr. Haywood stationed himself on a point of a hill 
where he could overlook the surrounding country. The 
old veteran put Mr. Amateur in the valley by the side of an 
old stump, and cautioned him to remain quiet and watch 
him. The amateur promised in good faith he would do 
so. The old veteran took his station by the side of an old 
road- way, about twenty rods from Mr. Amateur. It was 
not long before the dogs had a fox running, and soon the 
old veteran saw the fox coming up the valley. .Looking 
over toward the amateur, he saw him stamping his feet 
and slapping his arms around his body to keep warm. 
Giving a warning whistle, he motioned him to be quiet, 
but Mr. Amateur, taking it for a sign to come over, started 
that way; but the old veteran was up and exclaimed in a 
loud voice, "You charge, get down!" The amateur lost 
no time, but fell flat in the deep snow. The fox heard the 
noise and turned at right angle towards a piece of timber. 
The old veteran ran across the valley to intercept him, 
but was too late; and, forgetting Mr. Amateur, walked up 
the valley. Mr. Haywood saw the amateur fox hunter 
fall in the snow, and after the fox had passed walked 
down the hill, foundhim lying flat in the snow, nearly out 
of sight. He asked, " What is the trouble? " 
" Hush! " said he, " Gilbert told me to charge and keep 
quiet, and I am going to do so." 
"Come! come! get up! Thefoxisten miles from here." 
But of no use were his commands. The amateur was a 
second Casabianaca. He would obey orders if it took his 
life. Mr. Haywood was obliged to walk nearly a mile to 
get Gilbert to call Amateur out of the snow, where he 
had melted it, and was lying on the cold wet ground. In 
answer to Gilbert's question why he did not get up when 
the fox had passed, he said, "Did you not tell me to charge 
and keep quiet? and I only obeyed orders, as I promised." 
And the result was that Mr. Amateur was laid up with a 
bad attack of rheumatism and sore throat. A. E. K\ 
Northwestern Beagle Club of America. 
A meeting of the Executive Committee of the North- 
western Beagle Club was held at Milwaukee on Tuesday, 
May 28, at 2 P. m. The members present were F. F. Mer- 
rill, Chas. Niss. Jr., Edward Bender, E. Engelmann, Louis 
Steffen. Vice-President Merrill in the chair. It wa3 voted 
that the field trials be held at Columbus, Wis., beginning 
on Tuesday, October 22, 1895. The following classes were 
made for the coming field trials : 
Open Class A— For dogs, all ages, 15in. and over 13in., 
that have not been placed first in any all-age class at field 
trials held in America. 
Open Class B— For bitches (same conditions as Class A). 
Open Class C— For dogs and bitches, all ages, 13in. and 
under, that have not been placed first in any all-age class 
at field trials held in America. 
Derby Class D— For dogs and bitches, 15in. and over 
13in., whelped on or after January 1, 1894. 
Derby Class E— For dogs and bitches, 13in. and under, 
whelped on or after January 1, 1894. 
Champion Class F— For dogs and bitches, all ages, 15in. 
and over I3in., having won a first prize at any field trial 
held in America. 
Champion Class G — For dogs and bitches, all ages, 13in. 
and under, having won a first prize in any field trial held 
in America. 
Entries for Classes A, B, C, D, E, close October 5. Fee 
tostart $5, of which $2 forfeit must accompany entry, and 
balance to be paid prior to starting of class. 
The prizes for these classes are 35 per cent, of entry 
money to first, 25 per cent, to second, 15 percent, to third. 
Entries for Classes F and G close immediately before 
cotrasraa incidents. 
starting of class. Fee to start $5, which must be paid be- 
fore class is started. First prize, 30 per cent.; second prize, 
20 per cent. The title of Field Trial Champion will be 
awarded to the winners in Classes F and G. The secretary 
was authorized to correspond with different judges for 
terms, etc. 
Mr. Chas. B. Eice, of Highland Park, Illinois, was ad- 
mitted as a member. 
Eesolutions of regret at the death of the late E. Bardoe 
Elliott were passed. Meeting adjourned. 
Louis Steffen, Secretary. 
Attention is called to the closing of the U. S. F. T. Club's 
Derby entries on June 10. Field trial patrons should keep 
this in mind. 
