FOREST AND STREAM. 
410 

Sporting Jews from Abroad. 
NE cannot help animadverting with some regret to 
the character of the correspondence one sees in lead- 
ing English papers devoted to the annals of field sports. 
The remark would be too sweeping should we state that a 
discussion in England on questions of dogs, or game, or 
guns always ends by being of an acrimonious character, 
but we are forced to declare that asimplJe difference of 
opinion in regard to the various sides a question may be 
viewed from, too frequently engenders an amount of re- 
crimination which concludes with allusions of a personal 
kind somewhat coarse, and with a careless use of epithets 
which we cannot but regard as uncalled for. We must do 
our elder brethren the justice to state that assertions made 
by them are rarely or ever advanced without a good deal 
of reason, and it is safe to say that before making a state: 
ment of facts they are always most careful in regard to 
their authority. A Frenchman may make up his history 
of the camel from avisit to the Jardin des Plantes; a Ger- 
man eliminate one from his inner consciousness, but it is 
the Englishman who will go to Arabia or to Sahara and be- 
come a camel driver himself before he is ready to print the 
facts in regard to this animal. We have sometimes en- 
deavored, and fruitlessly, to try and find out why English- 
men were so rough in print and quarrelled so savagely, 
just as soon as ink is spilt. We have a theory that your 
average Briton rarely sees himself in type, and that when 
he gets there he hardly knews how to behave himself. In 
the United States, where the columns of a newspaper are 
so easily accessible to every one, (where perhaps quite un- 
forunately people find themselves too often into print 
when they don’t want to get there,) it is considered very 
much more of a common event, and the custom of the thing 
has taught contributors, when they advance opinions or 
differ from others, to do so in a courteous way. We may 
be rather uncouth in the viva voce way, but when we write, 
remembering that seripta verbu manent, though we may think 
daggers, we are careful to put them in velvet sheaths, so 
that the readers can handle them without cutting their fin- 
gers. Of course men will differ in regard to a gun, a rod, 
a dog or a horse, or a fish, but without adopting the forced 
methods of super-Chinese civility; there can be no use in 
being vituperative about these matters or for calling hard 
names. 
—Would any of our readers like to go to Unkomofiaze or 
to Limpopo? Of course everybody knows where those 
happy hunting realms are. It is the land of the elephant 
and the rhinoceros, where hippopotami, giraffes, lions, 
gnus, elands, koodoes and panthers abound, somewhere in 
Mid Africa. Such is the want of hunting opportunities in 
England that people advertise these unknown countries 
and get up parties to enjoy sport there. Perhaps the 
Messrs. Cook the great tourist guides will undertake pleas- 
ure trips of this character at some future period. Why 
cannot we be imitative to a certain extent? We think if 
a well known hunter (we could mention a score of such) 
knowing the ground well, would start at the proper sea- 
son from New York anexpedition of this character toward 
the Rocky Mountains with grizzly bears in prospective he 
might soon collect quite a number of enthusiastic sports- 
men who, under his guidance, would see no end of sport, 
and have as an excitant the chance of a neat brush with 
the red men. 
—We have several times noticed the tiger killing in In- 
dia with its various English interpretations. So far we are 
pleased to state this correspondence has been of the most 
approved parliamentary character. “Smoothbore,” the 
well known correspondent to the London Feld, has an ex- 
cellent communication on this snbject. The writer is 
doubtful whether tigers kill more human beings now than 
they used to. Deer and pigs are, it is stated, the natural 
food of the tiger, ‘‘but,” says ‘“Smoothbore,” ‘when by 
every means, fair and foul, in season and out of season, 
these are killed by the natives, the tiger is forced to fall 
back on the bullocks and buffaloes.” Now whenhe kills 
the latter, which animal belongs to the natives, these stupid 
natives, says Smoothbore, have not even the sense to al- 
low him to eat the carcass. The sequence now follows; 
tigers being driven away by the man, he tries to see what 
kind ofa dinner a native will make, and finding much to 
his surprise and pleasure that a man is good eating, and 
not hard to kill, he becomes a‘homophogist, 7. e., a confirmed 
man eater. The whole question is a strange one in animal 
economy, and reminds one of the endeavors to carry across 
in the same boat the wolf, the goat and the cabbage. The 
same thorough authority states that the Coimbatore district 
is noted for its maneating tigers. In 1870-71 they ate five 
human beings and 1,258 cattle; but in 1872-72, 108 human 
beings and 1,509 cattle. It seems to us the appetite in- 
creases in what it feeds on, aud that the more cattle they 
eat the more men and women they devour. A method 

proposed to get rid of these man-eating tigers is advanced. 
by a Major Beddome. This gentleman advises raising com- 
panies of yol!urteers, armed with rifles and muskets, and 
opening a regular campaign against the animals, the tiger 
corps to be prepared in every way for field service with 
tents, baggage, supplies, &c. 
—In Land and Water there is ‘given the experiences of a 
gentleman who was attacked by a mad dog and the method 
he employed to cure certain animals which had been bitten 
by the dog. Three horses and a cow were bitten by the 
dog. Some were treated with nitrate of silver, and one 
with the nitrate acid of mercury. Two horses and a cow 
treated with lunar caustic (nitrate of sliver) all died in the 
most fearful agony, while a mare, the property of the gen- 
tleman who writes the account, which had had the nitrate 
acid of mercury applied to her wounds has so far suffered 
no inconvenience. A fact of this character is most worthy 
of notice, and we are glad to give it publicity. It might 
be fully worth while to give the nitrate acid of mercury to 
persons who might have been bitten by a dog supposed to 
have rabies. In the case noticed by us the dog-was a New- 
foundland, We are chary of Newfoundland dogs. From 
a careful study of this subject, notes of which we purpose 
to publish some day, in regard to the species of dogs most 
prone to have hydrophobia, we are forced to place this 
fine dog, the Newfoundland, in unfortunate prominence. 
—Where is Stawell? Who knows where Stawell is? 
Stawell, where the Australians have played their Olym- 
piad game of cricket, and where the Stawellians beat the 
Grace Eleven, making the second defeat the vaunted’ 
boatsmen and bowlers and fielders have met with on the 
Island Continent. Butso it is, and cricket men all through 
England hold down their heads, and are listless and moody, 
and believe now in the New Zealander or Australian look- 
ing at the ruins of Lord’s Grounds of London and theWater- 
loo Bridge. The news is brief; we give it in all its im- 
pressive brevity. Mr, W. G. Grace’s Eleven vs. Twenty- 
Two of the Stawell club, which began on the 9th was 
completed on the the following day. The eleven went in 
first and scored 48 runs against 71 Stawell. Particulars of 
the second inning are wanting. The result, however, is 
stated to be in favor of Stawell, who won the match with 
fen wickets to spare. All Australia ought to hold a grand 
corrobbrrie in approved native style. Our own clubs in 
New York had better profit by the example, for from the 
far West looms up a club which this season, we are in- 
clined to think, will reap all the Jaurels. Of course, Mis- 
souri is not as far off as Australia. 
—Dogs are dogs, and represent, when good ones, no 
small amount of money. A twenty-five hundred horse cer- 
tainly means both beauty and speed, but a £500 setter must 
stand for something canine worth almost his weight in sil- 
ver. Yet the Irish Times says £500 was offered for the cel- 
ebrated red and white setter, Dash. This dog hails from 
Ireland, and is the property of P. P. Stone, Esq., of Coler- 
aine. County Derry. 
—The exportation of English horses must be decreasing. 
The price at home evidently must meet the views of those 
wishing to dispose of their horses. In 1872 the value of 
such animals sent out of England was £180,082; for the last 
year it was not half of it, only £76,442. 
eee 
Che Zennel. 
FIELD TRIAL RULES TOSUIT AMERICAN 
BRED SETTERS. 
: aes 
EFORE our gentlemen sportsmen enter into competi- 
tion with the English pointers and setters in a field 
trial in England, there are many matters of marked impor- 
tance that we should wish to bring to the attention of our 
readers. 
Ist. We would suggest that a slight alteration be made 
in the marks of excellence as regards points. 
2d. That the introduction of retrieving should receive 
special notice as being of great benefit to our sportsmen. 
dd. That if a dog in a field triai retrieves a bird, having 
worked along distance on his marked bird, it should be 
considered and allowed that this educated instinct in the 
setter is worthy of several points in a field trial. 
We offer these suggestions for these reasons: Taking 
the setter as being undoubtedly the most useful dog over 
game birds for our country, the power of scenting game, 
or the strength of nose, ina pure and well bred setter is 
simply a question of inheritance, which no doubt may be 
slightly improved by patient and careful practice. The 
nose being the most prominent characteristic feature in the 
setter, the rules very justly give to ‘‘scent” the highest 
number of points, namely, 30. Pace and style of hunt- 
ing are almost wholly embodied in Breaking, the style and 
staunchness in Pointing, and Drawing on game; these sey- 
eral grades of merit have already, by the rules and regu- 
lations of field trials, their average points allotted to them. 
Pace in ranging, and the style or manner in which the set- 
ter beats the ground, are inherent in the animal, and may 
be much improved by constant education and training. 
As for instance, take nine out of every ten dogs into the 
field of those which are commonly called thoroughly broken, 
and they will range or beat, and run over the ground ina 
most excited and erratic manner. Breaking and dropping 
to “word” or shot, is a matter which rests almost wholly 
with the master, and it depends upon the owner or dog 
trainer whether the animal is thoroughly taught or not. 
Backing is the bringing out of the dormant instinct while 
the dog is stillin his youth. Take the puppy out in the 
field along with the mother and let him see the parent 
“stand on a point;” the little fellow will back her, that is 
stand on his parent’s point alongside of her, simply because 
of his strong imitative powers, instinct, and also that he 
smells game. At Balla for this mark of excellence in a dog 
they allow 10 points, if perfect. Pointing again is also a 
question of a purestrain of a long line of ancestral blood or 
inheritance, and it depends solely on the careful selection 
in the cross of the different breeds of setters. 
Therefore if a dog has a good nose, if his pace and style of 
hunting be excellent, and his breaking perfection, we might 
then with propriety reduce the pace and style of hunting 
and pointing 5 points each, which would then make room 

for retrieving. To instruct a setter to retrieve, either on 
land or water is the easiest of all lessons which the animal 
has to be taught. Having explained this system fully in 
previousissues of the ForEsT AND STREAM, we wish only - 
to say that in shooting snipe or woodcock in a thick swamp, 
where the birds drop dead one hundred yards from the 
shooter in the almost impenetrable swam p grass and bog, 
which is not of uncommon occurrence, it is of vital im: 
portance that the setter should be able to fetch the bird, with- 
out one’s having to ¢) to the expense of procuring and the 
trouble of unleashing a ‘‘retriever” to gather the birds, as 
is the custom in field trials abroad. 
We could write on this matter more fully, as the ques- 
tion is an interesting and novel one to our sportsmen. 
Any information we may gather or that we are in posses- 
sion of, we shall be pleased to give to our readers verball y. 
or by mail. The pointer we will treat in a later issue. By 
examining the table of points as in use inthe field trials at 
Bala, England, issued in our last number, the differences 
suggested by us may be be better appreciated. Appended 
are the alterations in value of points we would advise: 
VALUE OF POINTS WHEN PERFECT. 
| 
30 20 20 15 5 100 
10 
ALTERATION IN MARKS OF EXCELLENCE FOR SETTERS. 





je: 



w ood =e) 
Name} 4% Pace @ Pointin 5 |S | Drawing | 4 
of | 2] andstyle | % | (Style an & | = | on Game | & 
Dog | © | of Hunting.| = | Steadiness @& | < jor Roading.| & 
99 in) Se id 
= eS ee eras. | es Es pan ee 
Forest. | 30 | 15 20 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 100 

We shall be glad to hear from correspondents on this 
matter. 
—_——--—_—~. 
We publish another letter from Mr. Price, of Wales, on 
the International Pointers and Setters Challenge. We feel 
sure that it will be read with much interest, as it settles all 
disputes, and answers in a very proper manner the letters 
of English gentlemen to Bell’s Life and other sporting 
papers. We cannot interfere on this side of the water 
with any unpleasantness or discussions that may arise in 
field trials or any other sports in Great Britain, as we have 
quite enough to do to attend to our own. 
Ruywiuas, Bana, Norra WALEs. 
Eprror Forest AnD STREAM:— 
I wrote to you some fortnight ago, stating that the choice 
of the English representatives, and the arrangement of de- 
tails, wonld be, in case of the challenge being accepted, in 
the hands of the committee of the Kennel Club, our Eng- 
lish Jockey Club, in shooting matters. I write to repeat, 
that statement, seeing in Dell’s Life, a letter from Mr. 
Llewellen in which he challenges the right of Mr. Mac- 
dona and myself to call our dogs first class, and suggesting 
that his own are better. Mr. Macdona’s “Ranger” and 
“Belle” won all their engagements last summer, and Mr. 
Whitehouse’s ‘‘Pax” and Mr. Barclay Field’s ‘‘Dick” also 
secured or divided all the stakes they ran for. I take it 
that these four dogs may be acknowledged to be the best 
in England at the present time; whether their owners will 
permit them to compete in the international match is 
another thing, and a question for the committee to decide. 
Mr. Llewellen’s ‘‘Countess,” an undeniably first class ani- 
mal, and one that has beaten ‘‘Belle” on the first occasion 
that they ever met, was beaten this year by both Mr. Mac- 
dona’s ‘‘Ranger” and by “‘Belle.” I write you this plain 
statement of facts, and beg to conclude with the assurance 
that should the challenge be accepted the best dogs will be 
selected by the Kennel Club for the match, or should they 
decline to interfere, which I do not anticipate, Mr. Mac- 
dona and myself will guarantee to find the dogs and the 
money for the contest. Iam, dear sir, yours, truly, 
R. I. Ll. Price. 
{We are in correspondence with the Kennel Club of Eng- 
land.—Ep. ] 
——~_——. 
—Our correspondent, 8. C. Clarke, in acknowledging re- 
ceipt of pointer Belle’s photograph, writes, and we think 
very justly, as follows: 
“Tam bound to say that I have seen handsomer speci- 
mens of the pointer, and which showed higher breeding. 
I think she appears too long in the legs, and somewhat 
coarse in those limbs, as well as in the tail. I can see that 
she may be an animal of great powers of ranging and en- 
durance, and I am aware that to appreciate the points of a 
dog as well as of a horse you should see him move. 
8: C. C. 
————_>—__—. 
Rerrievers.—I_ thought I knew something about 
shooting and the dogs necessary for the sports, but the 
notice of the day’s sport at Rhiwlas Bala—three guns, with 
sixteen dogs, ‘‘retrieyers,” 103 head—has completely upset 
all my ideas on the subject. For what on earth could three 
gentlemen take sixteen retrievers out with them. I have 
always thought one retriever enough for his own particular 
business? If they used them for other purposes than their 
legitimate business, surely other breeds are more useful. — 
London Field. 
—_———¢———— 
—Mr. R. D. Purcell Llewellen’s letter to Bell's Life in 
London, which is copied inthe New York Herald of Febru- 
ary 2d, is answered by Mr. Price’s letter in our issue of last 
week. Mr. Price and the Rey. J. Cumming Macdonna’ 
leave the Anglo-American challenge entirely in the hands 
of the Kennel Club of England. 
ee 
—Strange that game should be so dear when the efforts 
of every sportsman are directed to “bring it down!" 


