Ethan Allin, 
The late Mr. Ethan Allin was well known throughout 
the New England States. He also had many warm 
friends in other portions of the country, especially in 
sections where rvift'ed grouse abound, for he was noted 
as an expert partridge hunter before I ever fired a gun. 
Early in his career he attempted to breed a strain of 
setters that would do satisfactory Avork on his favorite 
bird. How well he succeeded is a _ matter of history 
duly recorded in the sportsmen's publications of his day. 
He bred many dogs, but never enough to supply the 
demand. He never bred for color or form, and con- 
sequently his kennel always contained a varied collection, 
with scarcely two alike so far as looks went; but in the 
grouse covers looks, form and stjde nearly always had 
to take a back seat when competing with his dogs, for 
he svicceeded in producing a strain that, with rarely an 
exception, handled their grouse in a most satisfactory 
manner. One of the first setter bitches that he bred from 
was Daniel Webster's Rachel, a Avorthless animal so far 
as hunting qualities go, but a well-bred one, as was 
abundantlj' proven by the performances of her numerous 
descendants. 
In those days setters were very scarce, _ and he was 
forced to use the material that he could obtain, for there 
^was not much opportunity to pick and choose. Many 
dogs of his earlier breeding were summarily disposed 
of when a trial found them lacking in the qualities that 
•he was in search of, and only those that gave fair prom- 
ise of usefulness were retained, and of these only the 
very best Avere used for breeding purposes. By pursu- 
ing this course a few years he succeeded in obtaining 
something approaching his ideal, but it was nearly a 
quarter of a century before he was perfectly satisfied 
with the results obtained. In the selection of dogs for 
breeding purposes, color and st}de had no part, nor 
did he discard a first-class performer for slight varia- 
tion from the form he considered most desirable. Pedi- 
gree he cared very little for, and I have often heard him 
say that all the pedigree he wished was first-class work 
in the field. I have owned several dogs of his breeding, 
and have shot over scores of others, and with two or 
three exceptions all have been good performers, and 
many of them all that a sportsman could wish. While 
the partridge was his favorite bird, and his whole aim 
in breeding was to produce dogs that could do satis- 
factory work on them, nearly all of them were also ex- 
cellent performers on other game. Although he best 
liked a small dog^ — one of about 4o!bs. weight — he often 
used larger animals for breeding, for the reason, as he 
often said, that good performance will cover a multi- 
tude of sins. His one rule in selecting his puppies was 
rigidly adhered to. Of course a malformed one met its 
fate at once, as also did some of the weaker ones of a 
too large litter. When the puppies were six to eight 
weeks old they were given a fair trial on game if it was 
practicable, and only those that showed pointing in- 
stinct were retained. I have repeatedly seen every puppy 
of a litter bred by him staunchly pointing the scent of 
a Aving-broken grouse that he had brought home and 
pegged down in heaA'y grass or Aveeds, where they could 
not see it. In thtis selecting his dogs all guessAvork so 
far as their pointing was concerned was done away Avith, 
and there Avere no dogs to shoot for failure in this re- 
spect after tliey had arriA'ed at maturity. He Avas very 
successful in rearing his puppies, rarely losing one from 
sickness of any kind, even including distemper, except 
that one year — 1863, if I remember rightly — this disease 
made sad havoc in his kennel, sweeping off some thirty, 
both old and young. As a rule his dogs were healthy 
and vigorous, capable of working all day and CA'^ery day 
during the season, ahvays cheerful and obedient. They 
worked to the gun with scarcely an exception. Nearly 
all of them had lots of hunting sense, and many Avere 
exceptionally intelligent — ^just the dogs to please tlie 
market shooter. 
Mr. Allin was opposed to inbreeding, but resorted to 
it in the absence of desirable animals of different blood. 
Some of his intercrosses were diametrically opposed to 
the rules laid doAvn by the scientific breeder of the pres- 
ent time, but he was a firm believer in the old saying 
that "like will produce like," and in mating his dogs 
about his only care was to secure a pair that Avere alike 
in hunting qualities when in pursuit of his favorite bird. 
More than twenty years ago he bred a litter of puppies, 
and ataong them was a blue dog — not a blue belton in 
color, nor an3'thing approaching it, but a solid blue, 
precisely the shade that is found in what is generally 
knoAvn as a Maltese cat. This color, although men- 
tioned by English Avriters many years ago, had not 
previously been noted in this country, and the blue dog 
attracted a great deal of attention, and there was quite 
a controversy regarding the cavise of the peculiar color. 
1 belieA^e, however, that all Avere finally agreed that the 
true solution of the matter was that the dog had thrown 
back to some remote ancestor of this color. Mr. Allin 
was a belicA^er in this theory, and notwithstanding his 
professed disregard of pedigree it was plain to be seen 
that he took no little pride in the fact that this solution 
of the matter conclusively proved that a long and illus- 
trious line of ancestors were behind his treasure. When 
I imparted to him my view upon the subject he reluc- 
tantly acknowledged that there . was a strong proba- 
bility that I Avas right, but requested me to keep silent 
upon the subject, as the learned savants Avho had de- 
cided the question might feel disposed to blame him 
for withholding important testimony that had entirely 
gone from him until I recalled it. The explanation — if 
it is the explanation— is A^ery simple and at the same 
time deeply interesting, and for the first time I now 
make it public. When the dam of Fag, the blue dog 
in question, was in whelp I Avas at the home of Mr. 
Allin and saw her come into the kitchen where the old 
blue family cat had some kittens, but she did not tarry 
long, for the old cat lit on her back, and for about a 
minute it was cats and dogs, yowls and ki-yi's around 
that Idtchen, Avhen the dog, with the_ cat still clinging 
to her, darted through the door and disappeared around 
the corner. This little incident X believe to have been 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
the turning point for Fag, so far as the question of colof 
is concerned, for when he came to light his color was 
identical with that of the cat. I may be all wrong in 
my conclusion, for 1 make no pretension to exact 
knowledge relative to interpreting the intricate prob- 
lems that encompass the rules that govern, or the causes 
that affect or pertain to the pre-natal influence; so I 
merely jot down the incident together with my belief 
in the case, leaving to others more skilled in these mat- 
ters to decide the question. I should perhaps add that 
Fag well earned in the field his right to a high place 
in the stud, and that he transmitted to his descendants 
not only his field qualities, but many of them he marked 
with his own peculiar color. I shall never forget the 
first time that Mr. Allin attemjjted to take Fag out 
shooting. Hon. E, H. Lathrop, Mr. H. J. Ferry and 
myself paid Mr. j\llin a visit for the purpose of having 
the pleasure of a few days' sport with him among the 
birds. Mr. Lathrop had his well-known setter Dick and 
Mr. Ferry had his best dog, while I had the pointer 
Sensation and Rock, a capital setter of Mr. AUin's 
strain. A local friend Avho accompanied us also had a 
good one, and Avhen Ave had them packed aAvay in the 
Avagon Mr. Allin loaded in three more, one of which 
was Fag, as he wished us to see how he Avould acquit 
himself Avhen first shown game. Seating ourselves in 
the wagon, Ave started for a favorite range of covers 
some four miles away, but before we were out of sight 
of the house Fag showed signs of discontent, and an 
instant later he made a brave dash for liberty; but some- 
hoAV he miscalculated his angles, for instead of making 
a straight shot he caromed against thf front seat and 
then struck the hind Avheel and dropped under it, and it 
Avent squarely over him just as it sank into a mud hole. 
Horror-struck, I leaped to the ground to gather up the 
mangled remains, and was never more surprised at any- 
thing of this nature than I was to see a streak of black 
and blue scooting across the open pasture and disap- 
pearing Avith a flying leap over the wall at the opposite 
side. When Mr. Allin told me some two years later 
that Fag Avas the best dog in the field that he had ever 
bred, I replied that this was to be expected, for five 
good men and seven good dogs had fairly ground it 
into him. 
This day was most enjoyable; there was an abundance 
of birds, and the performance of the dogs Avas something 
to be long remembered. One incident in particular I 
shall never forget. We had flushed a beA'y of quail that 
flew over a small knoll upon the summit of Avhich Avas 
a small, dense patch of hazel. Dick was a short distance 
to the right of us, and Sensation was some twenty rods 
to the left, while the other dogs Avere at heel. When 
Ave Avere near the patch of hazel the dogs were sent on, 
and as they passed the patch nearly in a bunch they 
caught scent of a quail and simultaneously pointed, 
standing nearly in a semi-circle, Avith the tAvo outside 
dogs not more than loft. apart. I involuntarily gave the 
signal for a point, which instantly turned Dick and Sen- 
sation toward us. Dick came, up behind the thicket 
and did not see the dogs until he was right among them, 
when he straightened out and drcAV into the only open 
place in the magic half circle and also pointed. Sen- 
sation Avas coming at speed, but as he topped a knoll 
some 50yds. distant he caught sight of the dogs and at 
on-ce backed in his very best style. Here were six dogs 
that a blanket would almost cover pointing a single bird. 
How long Ave stood there spellbound, gazing at the 
wonderful picture, I cannot say. Mr. Allin finally mo- 
tioned for Mr. Lathrop to advance, which he did, and 
flushing the bird, killed it. I shall never forget the 
pleased look of satisfaction upon the countenance of 
Mr. Allin as he ttirned to me and said: "T have seen 
a great many Avonderful pictures, but never one like 
that." We all agreed with him, and to one at least of 
that group, and I have no doubt to aU, that beautiful 
living picture upon the hazel-crowned knoll Avill be a 
joy so long as life shall last. Mr. Allin was a quick shot 
and a very good one, and in addition to this he had a 
knowledge of the habits of game birds, especially of 
the grouse, that fcAV possess. Some of his friends called 
him lucky in obtaining shots, but luck had nothing to 
do with it. He appeared to know almost intuitively just 
where the birds Avould go, and usually managed to be 
in that vicinity at the proper time. Mr. Allin was a 
very pleasant shooting companion, as is abundantly 
proven by the fact that his numerous friends returned 
each season for many years to enjoy the pleasure of 
his society for their days afield. Many of these gentle- 
men are still living, and I feel assured that one and all 
will heartily join with me in tribute to the memory of 
our old-time friend — a true sportsman, a genial com- 
panion, and a steadfast friend. Shadow. 
^Springfield, Mass., March 5.; 
Engflish Bloodhound CIttt. 
The fourth annual meeting of the English Bloodhound 
Club A\'as held at Madison Square Garden, New York, 
Feb. 22, at 3 o'clock P. M., Mr. J. L. Winchell presiding. 
Dr. C. A. Lougest donated to the club a silver cup of 
the A^alue of $50, to be offered at such shows and under 
such conditions as the executive committee might think 
best. The club tendered a V-Ote pf thanks to Dr. Lou- 
gest for his generous gift. 
The breeding of so-called American bloodhounds was 
discussed, and we decided to take no action upon the 
matter at present, but to leave it in the hands of the 
executive committee to take steps which they might 
think necessary to prevent the sale of American blood- 
hounds as bloodhounds. 
The sum of $50 was also subscribed by the members 
for a second -club trophy to be offered at the leading 
shows. 
The following officers were elected for the ensuing 
year: President, J. L. Winchell, Fairhaven, Vt. : Vice- 
President, C. A. "'Lougest, Boston, Mass.; Secretary 
and Treasurer, Charles H. Innes, Boston, Mass.; Ex- 
ecutive Committee, the above officers, Roger D. Wil- 
liams and Miss Nellie Lougest. 
Dr. Alfred F. Stahl was elected a delegate to the 
American Kennel Club, and the folloAving judges were 
recommended to the American Kennel Club: Dr. A. 
F. Stahl, Roger D. Williams, C. Walter Lougest and 
James Mortimer. Charles H. Innes, Sec'y. 
[March 26, iSgSt 
Now that the knockabout is an accomplished fact in 
New York waters, it is evident that if the best results 
are to follow from the establishment of what may easily 
be a handy, AA^holesome and generally useful type, some 
stringent regulations are necessaiy. The disposition at 
present is to class under the name "knockabout" any- 
thing that is not a Cape cat, and that cannot be squeezed 
in under the absurd and misused term of "rater," so that 
in a short time the name "knockabout" will probably 
be as meaningless and misleading as "rater," and the 
entire movement ruined by the invasion of racing ma- 
chines. 
It is only necessary to go back to the first Boston 
boats to find out what a knockabout should be; but 
what it is at the present time, in the popular mind, is a 
very different matter. Anything at all of greater out-of- 
AA^ater body than a "rater," and without a bowsprit, even 
though she be nothing more than some old centerboard 
sloop or cat made over, is noAv classed as a knockabout. 
In view of the number of veritable knockabouts that 
will be included in the Sound racing fleet this season, 
even outside of the one-design class, the Indian Harbor 
Y. C. has taken steps to define the type and to provide 
open races for the class. We publish in another column 
the regulations drawm up by the regatta committee of 
the club for this purpose. These are in conformity with 
the rules of the Knockabout Association, of Boston, and - 
will include every real knockabout. 
It is a matter for regret that the whole subject of the 
knockabout type could not have been dealt with in ad- 
vance by the Sound Y. R. A., the limits being set and 
arrangements made for the formal establishment of the 
class before any building was attempted. This, how- 
ever, was not possible under the circumstances. In spite 
of its success in the East for several seasons, the type 
attracted little attention from New York yachtsmen until 
the end of last season, when all of a .sudden the knock- 
about fever became Adolently epidemic. Outside of the 
SeaAvanhaka one-design class, which with its thirty-five 
boats Avill furnish plenty of racing for the members, 
there will be a large general fleet of knockabouts of dif- 
ferent designs Avhich can noAV enter the open races under 
the regulations laid doAvn by the Indian Harbor Y. C. 
We publish this Aveek the conditions under which the 
new cup of the Quincy Y. C. is established. While open 
to international challenge, the cup is not dedicated ex- 
clusively to international competition, but may be com- 
peted for by yachts of any one nation Avithout foreign 
challenge. 
As far as international competition 'fe Cioftcerned, the 
conditions are peculiar; the competition is limited to one 
class under a rule which exists noAvhere but on Massa- 
chusetts Bay, and Avhich produces a type of yacht radi- 
cally different from those produced by the rules of Great 
Britain, France, Germany and the majority of American 
clubs. This type of yacht, with only the I.av.1. limited 
and sail untaxed, is noAV obsolete in France and Ger- 
many, where it Avas once as popular as in this country, 
and is found only in Australia and a few localities in the 
far East. 
The cup is likely to serve a good end in promoting 
interclub racing on Massachusetts Bay; but it is almost 
impossible that under its present conditions it can ever 
attract a foreign challenge or become more than a local 
trophy. 
There is very little likelihood of British or French 
yachtsmen attempting to challenge in a type of boat Avith 
which they are now entirely unfamiliar, and in Avhich 
endeavor they could have no aid from the regular class 
racing in trials for the perfection of a challenger or for 
the defense of the cup, should they be so fortunate as to 
AA'in it. .. 
Another feature of the conditions that is hardly calcu- 
lated to stimulate foreign challenges is the provision that 
after a foreign challenge has been receiA^ed and a match 
arranged the defense may still accept challenges from 
home boats to an indefinite number. This idea of match- 
ing a fleet against one foreign boat was long ago aban- 
doned even bj' the Ncav York Y. C; it is entirely at 
variance Avith modern ideas of fair s.port, and of itself 
is enough to prevent foreign challenges. No intelligent 
yachtsman would to-day start out to challenge under a 
rule which compels him to build a peculiar type p( boat 
Avith which he is unfamiliar, and in addition proA'ided 
that his one boat may be opposed by an uifliniited num- 
ber of defending craft. 
There is eA'er}^ indication that the cup Avill aroUse and. 
stimulate local interest in the 21ft. clas.s, and haA^e a 
good effect on building and racing within the domain 
of the Y. R. A. of Massachusetts. 
The sale of the steam yacht Mayflower to the King of 
Belgium Avas recently recorded, and for several AA^eeks 
the yacht has been lying at the Erie Basin with crew 
aboard and fires ready, awaiting orders to start. Last 
Aveek the programme Avas materially changed by the 
sale of the vessel to the United States Government, and 
on Thursday she was taken to the Brookljai NaA'y Yard, 
where she will be transformed into a torpedo boat de- 
stroyer. Mrs. Goelet boarded the yacht at the Erie 
Basin and made the trip up the East River on her; the 
end of Mayflower's brief career as a yacht. Within the 
past ten days, in view of the crisis in the affairs of Spain 
and Cuba, the representatives of the Government have 
been examining all the larger yachts Avith a view to their 
use in case of war. The Maj'floAver was not only far 
superior in speed to any other aA^ailable, but the nego- 
tiations with her ncAV purchaser Avere in sxxch shape as 
to permit the canceling of the sale, which Avas immedi- 
ately done, the Government purchasing her on the spot. 
The price paid for her is about the original cost exclusive 
of her costly and elaborate furnishing. 
Mr. Howard Gould, owner of the neAV Niagara II., 
now approaching completion at Flarlan & Hollings- 
worth's yard, has offered the yacht to the Naval Re- 
serve of the State of New York in case of war, and the 
