Sept. 86, 1875. ' 
391 
THE MiNCHESTER (N. H.) DOG SHOW. 
BY NIMKOD. 
The bench show of dogs at the New England and 
New Hampshire State Pair, held last week at Manches- 
ter, was quite a success, and attracted much attention. 
The building containing the canines was packed from 
morning till night with wondering and admiring people. 
It was something new for the steady going people of the 
State to have a dog show at their fair, and though a 
few old fogies growled because a dog should take a sil- 
ver medal ; yet the greater part favored and appreciated 
the exhibition. 
The arrangement for the comfort of the dogs was cap- 
ital, they being in a long building, with roomy stalls on 
both sides, while the many windows and the doors at 
either end admitted as much fresh air as possible, con- 
sidering the crowd that filled the building. The show 
of sporting dogs, though good, was not so large as it 
ought to have been, owing, probably, in part, to the 
season, since at this time most of the hird dogs are in 
use. Several sportsmen, who could have had their dogs 
on exhibition, thought the prizes not worth going for. 
Now this is all wrong, for the prizes were good, a solid 
silver medal for first and a bronze medal for second in 
every class, and where two dogs were very close for 
second place a diploma was awarded as third at the 
discretion of (he judges. In some cases, where there 
was no competition, and in one case, where there was, 
the first prize was withheld, and the second awarded to 
the “entry,” which caused a little dissatisfaction with 
the exhibitors; but this was right, as a dog unworthy of 
first prize should not take one by favor or compliment. 
As to value: a medal, whether bronze or silver, with 
the stamp and signature of such an agricultural society 
as either the New England or New Hampshire State, is 
a greater treasure than twice the value in either money 
or other prizes, for the very reason that these medals 
cannot be imitated, and are only given by the societies, 
they alone possessing the mould and sta np. Any man 
can have a silvergoblet or pitcher inscribed to his liking 
— I don’t mean that any sportsman would do so — while 
one of these medals must be earned to be possessed, for 
they are venale nec auro. For the best trick dog a prize 
of $25 was awarded; for second best, $15; and the third, 
$10. 
The entrance fee for each dog was one dollar, which 
entitled the exhibitor to a two-dollar season ticket. 
Of the non-sporting dogs there was a fine show, a 
huge St. Bernard and a powerful mastiff attracting par- 
ticular attention. The former was imported, a red taw- 
ny in color, standing 31i inches at shoulder, and weigh- 
ing 160 pounds. The latter of a liver tawny color, 
witli black muzzle-points, stood 30 inches at shoulder, 
girth 40 inches, and' weighed 165 pounds, while only 
second in size to these dogs was a Siberian (so-called) 
bloodhound. 
A magnificent pair of Scotch deerhounds, imported 
only a short time since, one of them a perfect image of 
the cut in Stonehenge, drew much attention, and were 
really rare and remarkable specimens of the breed. 
The managers and superintendent of the show de- 
serve great credit for their first exhibition, and if there 
is a dog show next year on the list of either of these 
societies, as I trust there will be, let every man who 
owns a well-bred dog have him on exhibition, and every 
man who owns a cur go and see what a fine dog is like, 
whether he be sportsman or not, for New England and 
even New Hampshire, small and bleak though she may 
be, can bring forth specimens of the canine race second 
to none. 
Below we give a list of the prize winners ; 
Red Irish Setters. — Ist prize, Shamrock, Wm. Jania, Claremont ; 
2d prize, Dick, Wm. Jarvis, Claremont. 
Black and Tan, or Gordon Setters.— let prize, Don, Dr. Wheeler, 
Manche^ter. 
EuglUh betters.— let prize, Bounce, C. A. Lond, Portsmouth ; 2d 
prize, Snipe, P. H. Maguire, Salmon Falls. 
Pointers.— Ist prize, Grouse. John S. tides, Portsmouth ; 2d prize, 
Sancho, J. N. Drew, Concord. Ist prize for bitches— Gipsy, C. C. 
Clement, Manchester. 
Spaniels.— l8i prize, Horace Greeley, H. S. Clark, Manchester ; 2d 
prize, Ned, H. S. Clark, Manchester ; 3d diploma, . Ira Moore, 
Manchester. 1st prize for bitches— Susie. Capt. Matth^'ws, York, 
Maine ; 2d prize. Fanny, Asa T. Truell, Candia. 
Fox Hounds. — let prize. Lion. J Byron Huse, Manchceter ; 2d 
prize. Music, H. E. Sturtevant, Mafichester. Ist prize for bitches — 
Lillie, H. E. Sturtevant, Manchester. 
Shepherds.-lat prize, Vic, Campbell Grlsim. Manchester; 2d prize, 
Scott, , . l8t prize for bitches— Minnie, Jas. W. Cogswell ; 
Manchester ; 2d prize, Topsey, George Hook, Chester ; 3d diploma. 
Sport, S. Hubbard, Candia. 
Black and Tan Terriers. — Ist prize, bitch Fannie, J. 8. Taber, i 
Manchester. 
Scotch Terriers. — 2d prize, Sonny, E. Matheson, Manchester. 
Newfoundlands. — Ist prize. Bruce, M. V. B. Kinne, Manchester : 
2d prize, Major, Frank E. Boyd, Manchester. 
St. Bernards.- Ist prize, Jack. Dr. A H. Nichols, Boston. Mass. 
Mastiffs. — Ist prize, Samson, Peter H. Clark, New Ipswich; 2d, 
prize, Andrew Jackson, Arthur Clough, Canterbury, 
Spitz —Ist prize, Bill, George Bonner, Manchester ; 2d prize, , 
George Bonner, Manchester. 
Large Greyhounds. — 1st prize. Prince, J. Byron Huse, Manches- 
ter ; 2d prize, Spring, James Richardson, Newburyport. Ist prize 
for bitches— Flora, S. Hayes, Manchester ; 2d prize, Bessie, James 
Richardson, Newburyport. 
Scotch Deerhounds.— Ist prize, Sir Walter, H. O. Bixby, Nashua. 
Ist prize for bitches — Mollie, H. G. Bixby, Nashua. 
Coach Dogs. — 1st prize, Tom. Edward Clark, Manchester ; 2d 
prize, Spot, Cyrus N. Coombs, Manchester. 2d prize for bitches — 
Spot, Emery, Manchester. 
Trick Dogs. — 1st prize, $25, Turk, James Hamilton, Nashua: 2d 
prize, $15, Lightfoot, C. P. Shepard, Manchester. 
THE SHOOTING SEASON IN FRANCE. 
(From New York Times.) 
Pams, Monday, Aug. 30. 
The shooting season opened 3'esterday, and we were 
once more treated to the annual spectacle of which I 
have frequently spoken, and which seems to grow more 
and more brilliant as time goes on. At a very earlj'hour 
in the morning on opening day the streets are filled with 
those gorgeously-attired gentlemen who take so much 
pleasure in displaying themselves upon the boulevards, 
and, with gun and dog and a shooting costume of the 
latest mode, promenade the principal streets for the 
greater portion of the day. A more perfect picture of 
contentment and self-satisfaction could scarcely be 
imagined. Radiant and happy they are seen at every 
corner conversing with envious friends, and congratu- 
lating themselves on their good fortune in getting an 
invitation for the ouverture de la cJiasse from the Baron, 
the Marquis or the Due. I need not say that they are 
always gotten up in marvelous style and with reckless 
disregard to all questions of expenditure, for everybody 
who pretends to be anybody, or according to the French 
locution, qui se respeefe, feels bound to show the world 
that be is an amateur of the chase. Those who can afford 
to do so take a cab, and, with a gun-case standing in 
evidence, and a pointer upon the seat beside them, they 
manage to do a good portion of the city during the day. 
When evening comes they take the train for somewhere, 
and are not seen for three or four days. The general 
impression is that thL}^ go to Asnieres, and, stealing 
back by night, shut themselves up in their chambers. 
This standing joke may not be calumnious in every case, 
but however that may be, the sportsmen appear again 
after a certain lapse of time, and have another day’s 
promenade, during which they are loud in their praises 
of M. le Due’s preserves, and of the genial hospitalities 
that were so liberally bestowed upon them au chateau. 
The chateau in many instances, even in the case of 
those who really leave the city, is nothing but a peas- 
ant’s cottage. So great is the rage for this sort of dis- 
play that hundreds go to the houses of their old nurses 
or visit the peasant parents of the servants of the fam- 
ily in which they reside. An excuse for them may be 
found in the fact that fashion’s mandates must be 
obeyed, and shooting in France has become nearly im- 
possible for all but millionaires and their friends. Every 
acre of land capable of raising game of any sort is rented 
for the season, and at prices which exclude all hopes on 
the part of persons with moderate means. The preten- 
sions of the fanners who do not shoot have risen with 
the progress of the present fashion for fancy sporting, 
and they demand, and generally obtain, most extrava- 
gant prices for the privilege of shooting over ground 
upon which there is little if any game. Lands lying in 
close proximity to the great preserves bring the highest 
prices, for a great deal of game is driven over during 
the grand battues that are frequently held during the 
reason. All the shootings belonging to the State are 
rented by associations of sportsmen, by the great 
nobles, or by the millionaire bankers. Baron 
Hirsch has leased the whole forest of 8aint-6er- 
rauin, where game is plentiful, and where he gives 
splendid shooting parties for the pleasure of his friends. I 
am sorry that I am not among the number, for my dogs 
are kept and trained by one of the Baron’s guards; but 
I have to go eight hours from Paris, unfortunately, be- 
fore I can fire a shot. Rambouillet is leased by the Due 
de Treraoille, Hallez-Clarapede, and some twenty other 
gentlemen, and Fontainbleau is also rented by a com- 
pany. Outside the splendid shooting enjoyed by Baron 
Hirsch, and for which he pays a great deal of money, 
some of the best is found at Grosbois, the chSteau of 
Prince de Wagram; Mello, belonging to Baron Selliere, 
and Ferrieres, the splendid estate of M. de Rothschild. 
At each of these places there were large parties yester- 
day, of course composed of the cream of the high soci- 
ety of Paris; for, if it is a great thing to be invited to 
shoot at an}’ time during the season, it is regarded as a 
special honor to get an invitation for the opening day. 
Among the gentlemen entertained by Barou Hirsch 
yesterday there were some famous shots, and a great 
deal of game fell before their guns during the dav. 
Three years ago there was so much poaching that 
great alarm was felt in all quarters, for unless some 
maana were found for stopping it the game would have 
been speedily exterminated. Despite the efibrts of the 
forest guard, and perhaps with their connivance at 
times, it was found that the market was stocked with 
game before the opening day. The authorities finally 
turned their attention to the dealers, and a heavy fine 
was imposed upon any who bought game before the ap- 
pointed time. Yet on the morning of the opening day 
the same quantity of game appeared before it could pos- 
sibly have been legally shot, and it was evident that it 
had been purchased some time before and hidden away. 
Last year the usual warning was given, but some days 
before the opening the police made peregrinations 
among the dealers and restaurant-keepers, finding large 
quantities of partridges and hare. They were seized 
and the owners heavily fined, in some cases fifty francs 
for each piece of game. This year the same peregrina- 
tions were made, but no game was found, and it was 
until late in the day yesterday that a lew birds began 
to make their appearance in the market. A fine hare 
was quoted at eleven and twelve francs; partridges sold 
readily for four and a half to five frar cs. A curious ad- 
venture happened to one of our largest restaurateurs 
during the night of Saturday. Having to supply a great 
many people, he buys game by the wholesale, and enough 
at a lime to supply, one would think, the markets of a 
town. Wishing to get ahead of his rivals by a few 
hours, he sent to England and purchased several thou- 
sand birds, and had them sent over by the way of Bel- 
gium. The train arrives in Paris at 5 o’clock in the 
morning, but it arrives at the frontier a little before 
midnight. The birds were there stopped by the author- 
ities, who said that the law did not permit the entry of 
game before midnight. It was in vain that the agent 
pleaded that it was only a half hour too soon, and that 
it would be daylight before the game arrived at its des- 
tination, but no arguments were allowed, and the car 
was switched off to await another train. As none came 
before morning, the bird.? arrived in Paris at 2 o’clock 
in the afternoon, and the enterprising restaurateur had 
his expense for nothing. 
Game in Scotland. 
There are four different species of the grouse family 
in Scotland, the largest of the four being the caper- 
cailzie, a noble bird, as large as a turkey. They inhabit 
the pine forests in the low country, as they feed almost 
entirely on the soft top of the pine trees. They are not 
very difficult to shoot, but they are not much esteemed 
for the table, as they taste strong of the pine. Then 
there is the black cock and gray hen, correctly named, 
as the male bird is a beautiful glossy black, while the 
female is a common gray. They generally frequent the 
marshy grounds between the woodsand the hills. They 
are considered as good as grouse for the table, and are 
much larger. Then comes the common red grouse, 
which covers all the hills in Scotland. They make their 
nests among the heather in the hills, and raise a family 
of from six to ten entirely on what nature provi des for 
them, feeding them principally on the young .shoots of 
the heather (Erica vulgare) and the numerous little ber- 
ries that are found on the hills during summer. They 
congregate in large flocks in the fall, and often prove 
very destructive to the farmers’ crops near the moun- 
tains. The fourth and last species is the ptarmigan, or 
white grouse. This is a very pretty bird, being pure 
while in winter, and ; gray and white in summer and 
fall. They inhabit the very highest tops of the moun- 
tains, and are very diflicult to get at, making a sports- 
man thankful if he can kill two or three brace in a day. 
The white grouse, like many other things in nature, 
change their color for protection from their enemies. 
The part of the mountain they inhabit is covered with 
snow about four months in the year, and a gray or dark 
object would be readily discovered by their greatest ene- 
mies, the hawks and eagles. The white hair is an ani- 
mal only to be found on the tops of mountains. It also 
changes its coat from a bluish gray in summer to pure 
white in winter. They are found on some of the hills 
in enormous quantities. A party of six or seven guns, 
with forty or fifty men and boys to drive the hares, have 
been able to kill from one thousand to fifteen hundred 
in a day. They are not much account in the market, as 
they only bring about twenty -five cents where a common 
hare brings about sixty. They do not pay for the kill- 
ing and bringing to market, or they would not be so nu- 
merous in a thrifty country like Scotland. Snipe are 
also found along the foot of the hills in the marshy 
grounds. This bird is admirably adapted for London 
sportsmen, as they may shoot a whole sea.son at one and 
never kill it. The common wild duck (the mallard), the 
widgeon and the gray plover are also found here. In 
fact, the most interes'ting sport to be found anywhere is 
the shooting along the toot of the mountains in Scot- 
land. You never know what a yard of ground will 
produce. It may be a hare, rabbit, pheasant, partridge, 
duck, snipe, plover, woodcock, or any of the grouse 
family, except the ptarmigan ; so that at the close of 
the day you may have a dozen different varieties in the 
game bag. It is this sport that makes so many of the 
“ upper ten” flock year after year to the “ land of the 
mountain and the flood,” instead of flying away to spend 
their money in lands beyond the sea. 
When first introduced, the sheep thrived so in that prairie-like 
land that the settlers crowded it more and more with sheep. Soon 
the grass was all devoured, and plants and shrubs were a’ tacked, and 
came to be the mam resource of the Hocks. The ground was conse- 
quently left to.bnsh and scrub, and to obhoxions and poiaouous 
herbs, and the intoxicating Melicta— the “ dronk” grass of the Dutch 
colonist*. 
