Dec. 21, 1912 
FOREST AND STREAM 
801 
Kalanianaole, June 14, 1911. Committee on 
Territories. 
H.R. 12532. — A bill to establish Mt. Olympus National 
Park in the Olympic Mountains in the State 
of Washington, and for other purposes. In¬ 
troduced by Mr. Humphrey, July 15, 1911. 
Committee on Public Lands. 
H.R. 19557.—A bill to establish Peter Lassen National 
Park, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Cali¬ 
fornia. Introduced by Mr. Kaker, peb. 6, 
1912. Committee on Public Lands. (See 
H.R. 22352.) 
H.R. 22352.—A bill to establish the Peter Lassen National 
Park in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in 
the State of California, etc. Introduced by 
Mr. Raker, March 25, 1912. Committee on 
Public Lands. 
H.R. 22353.—A bill to set apart certain lands in the 
State of California as a public park, to be 
known as the Mt. Shasta National Park, in 
the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the State 
of California, etc. Introduced by Mr. Raker, 
March 25, 1912. Committee on Public Lands. 
H.R. 22832.—A bill to establish the Lake Tahoe National 
Park in the States of California and Nevada, 
etc. Introduced by Mr. Knowland, April 
3, 1912. Committee on Public Lands. 
H.R. 23S39.—A bill for the protection and increase of 
State game preserves. Introduced by Mr. 
Kent, April 27, 1912. Committee on Agri¬ 
culture. 
PI.R. 24324.—A bill to import wild and domestic animals 
into the United States. Introduced by Mr. 
Broussard, May 9, 1912. Committee on Agri¬ 
culture. 
Game Dogs and their Ways. 
BY W. R. GILBERT. 
Peculiarities among sporting dogs can be 
instanced and multiplied to any extent, viz.: dogs 
refusing to bring woodcock, gray squirrels and 
the English starling, but after all there are very 
few dogs but will respond to judicious training 
and will retrieve anything he has been educated 
on. 
With a pretty long experience of game dogs 
I am of opinion there is just as much room for 
wonder at the way some dogs go to work in 
finding their game as in the peculiarities of others 
in retrieving it. Most pointers and setters will 
“acknowledge” a meadow lark, and indeed will 
often “set” it stiff as if it were a snipe or quail. 
I was training four young setters some years 
ago, and when they came on meadow larks’ 
“spoon” they at once “acknowledged.” At least, 
I should say that three of them did so, for as 
a matter cf fact the fourth never took any 
notice of meadow larks all through his life. 
Now, here were four young dogs, all of 
the same litter: Three of them showed the 
natural disposition to “acknowledge” and even 
“set” larks. The fourth never from infancy to 
old age took any notice of them. Can anyone 
explain this? At another time I had three curly- 
coated Irish water spaniels; two of them turned 
out excellent in all respects, but the third was 
both gun shy and water shy. Fancy a pure bred 
Irish water spaniel being afraid of the water! 
He never could be tempted into it, and never 
could be cured of gun shyness. On land he 
would fetch and carry anything shown him, but 
fire a shot, and he made a bee line for home. 
Into the water he would not go, so after keep¬ 
ing him for a time as a curiosity, I got rid of 
him. He went to his grave, still possessed of 
his repugnance to water and gunpowder. 
In some countries and districts I have been 
in, pointers are used instead of setters because 
they are considered steadier and stauncher on 
game than setters. 
One of the best pointers I ever came across 
was in Ireland, but even this animal had peculiar¬ 
ities; his particular idiosyncrasy lay in the 
ability of the shooters or rather in the want of 
it. Possibly the dog argued that it was his place 
to find the game, and the shooter’s place to kill 
it; but at any rate, if he was fired over and 
the game missed, he was off home as fast as 
he could lay his legs to the ground. Granted 
for argument’s sake that dogs will get careless 
and indifferent to searching for game if the 
shooting is bad, I think all the same there are 
not many instances on record of a pointer be¬ 
having splendidly up hill the time somebody 
missed a couple of shots and then suddenly 
making off home. I once owned a dog—a red 
setter—that never would “back” under any cir¬ 
cumstances. He would quarter his ground, find 
and sit as steady as a rock; but if his com¬ 
panion happened to find and sit, he at once rushed 
in instead of backing and thus spoil everything. 
No amount of chastisement had any effect. He 
simply would not “back” and that ended it. 
Again, in a country where mixed game predomi¬ 
nates, in Ireland, for instance, where a pheasant 
or partridge or a grouse or a snipe may be your 
next mark, it is very interesting to note the likes 
and dislikes of some dogs as to game. Grouse 
are not by any means prime favorites with cer¬ 
tain dogs, and I knew certain dogs that had been 
used for partridge shooting in England and taken 
on to a Scotch grouse moor that would not set 
or point at all until much valuable time had been 
lost in practically training them over again. I 
can go further even than this, and can call to 
mind at least two pointers that would not “point” 
grouse, under any circumstances, and never could 
be made to do so, for grouse are dark-fleshed 
and peculiar as to odor just as woodcock are, 
and like as some dogs will not touch the latter, 
so some are averse to the former. 
There are few men of life-long experience 
with game dogs who could not relate some in¬ 
teresting details of temperament and nature 
among their canine friends, and I am sure that 
some useful knowledge of game dogs might be 
gained if these experiences were recorded. Any¬ 
way, they would be far more interesting than 
a lot of the stuff that is constantly written in 
regard to sport. 
Winter Conditions in Ireland. 
Winter privations, as known in England, 
seldom assail Irish game. Even in the extreme 
north of the island spells of frost rarely last 
long, and it is not often one sees the whole 
countryside frost-bound. Snow falls, it is true, 
but does not lie long, and much of it melts 
while falling or immediately on reaching the 
ground. As long as the earth is not all covered 
up, feathered game is able to obtain food, and, 
kill birds when you may, each one is invariably 
in first-rate condition. Although the Noxious 
Weeds Act is being somewhat strictly enforced 
the country is still “weedy old Ireland ” and 
dock, thistle, and nettle seed heads stand above 
the snow to provide food for all birds.—Shoot¬ 
ing Times. 
Kennel. 
Spratt’s Puppy Biscuits 
Spratt’s Plain Puppy Meal 
THE STANDARD WEANING FOOD 
Spratt’s Pepsinated Puppy Meal 
FOR DELICATE PUPPIES 
None genuine unless stamped thus X 
Send stamp for “Dog Culture” 
SPRATT’S PATENT LIMITED 
Factory and Chief Offices at NEWARK. N. J. 
Book on Dog Diseases 
AND HOW TO FEED. 
Mailed FREE to any address by the author. 
H. CLAY GLOVER, D. V. S. 
118 W. 31st Street NEW YORK 
FOR SALE. 
Champion Lake Dell Damsel and Endcliffe Briarwood 
(English name, Fountain Ranger), both winners and 
world beaters. Address DR. L. C. TONEY, 204 Currier 
Block, Los Angeles, Cal. 
POINTERS FOR SALE 
The two thoroughly broken pointers, “Maxim’s Dan” 
and “Midkiff Jennie,” registered. These two dogs have 
had hundreds of birds killed over them; they know their 
business perfectly, work close to gun in cover, and range 
out wide in open; require little or no handling. An ideal 
brace, but will sell singly if desired. 
MIDKIFF KENNELS, Dallas, Pa. 
DOGS FOR SALE. 
Do you want to buy a dog or pup of any kind? If 14, 
send for list and prices of all varieties. Always on hand. 
OXFORD KENNELS, 
35 North Ninth St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND 
a suitable 
Christmas Present 
For a Man! 
Forest and Stream 
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