NOTES BY TERROR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2258, 10 June 1897, Page 35

NOTES BY TERROR.

• . • The schedule of the Southland Poultry, Bird, Pet, and Dog Society's eleventh annual show, to be held on the 7th and Bth prox., is to hand. I notice that ib provides for 12 classes for spaniels, 11 classes for collies, 5 for retrievers, 5 for fox terriers, and 3 each for setters and greyhounds; for all other dogs 1 class each. Entries close on the 26th inst. The schedule 'contains full particulars of the New Zealand Kennel Club rules which came into force August 1 last.

-.- "I hear," says " Sirius," "that the difficulty of getting working members of a committee to carry out a dog show in Christchurch has checked the ardour of the 'new blood,' who, it may bs said, tet out with fairly encouraging prospects." • . • Anent the above, I think a little new blood should be imported into the working committee of every annual (how so as to educate as many as possible up to the necessities of the case. The result would be beneficial also in opening the eves of fanciers generally,

enabling them to properly appreciate the amount of work — both organising and practical j — which has to be done. , • . • In a letter to the Mount Ida Chronicle Mr Andrew M&thewson, of Kokonga, sayg : " I now challenge anything in Central Otago to hunt away three strong merino wether 6, sheep to have 440 yds start of dog, slewed between poles out to three-quarter mile distance, for the sum of £5 ; each man to select his own judge, and in the event of their not agreeing would selecb a third. Each dog to have three trials." I • . * Mr R. Triggs, of Wellington, writing on the subjeob of "Judging," says, inter alia: — "The New Zealand Kennel Club, with commendable foresight, placed itself in communication with the principal Australian clubs, with the object of ascertaining if ib were feasible to mutually arrange for the engagement of an allronnd competent judge from Great Britain. From the correspondence which has ensued ib i is apparent that our neighbours in Australia are much in the same plight as their brethren in New Zealand, and there was a concensus of opinion in favour of the proposal, but at the ! same time there was a universal expression which indicated that the cost of securing a thoroughly qualified man barred the way, at least for the present. Gomidering the number of wealthy fanciers attached to many of the Australian olubs, and thab New Zealand was prepared to bear a. proportion of tha~ cost, I am not disposed to accept the view that the cost offered any., impediment to the proposal, and I am satisfied that if the matter had been approached in the spirit the N.Z K.C. intended, ere this a practical solution of -the question would have been arrived ab. That there has been some opposition to the proposal it cannot be denied, and it is probably just as well that there should be some, as by such means a subject becomes better ventilated ; but I regret to find, that some literary scribes in some of the kennel columns of Australian papers have indulged in the usual mud-throwing, and have endeavoured to ghow that the N.Z. K.C. wa3 exceeding its duty and taking up a positioa ib was wholly unwarranted in doing. One writer, evidently in a sarcastic vein, sought to make capital out of the proposal by referring to woodcuts of somo New Zealand dogs which appeared in a northern luminary, aud without making allowance for the idiosyncrasies of production, ventured the opinion fchut it would be better if New Zealanders were first of all to breed the dog 3 fin to be judged before seeking to find an adjudicator. Of courEe this is all very well, bub I can assure the writer that if those self-same dogs and a few others of the same breed were put down on the show benches of Australia, he would receive the rudest awakening that it has been the Ist of anyone to receive for masj,a long day. But to return to the point. It may ha reasonably concluded that the proposal is shelved for the present, and be this as it i»ay, the N.Z. K.C. may rest assured that the time ia nob far distant when it will see ib 3 proposal given effect to, and if the co-operation of the Australian bodies is nob to be obtained, then it must pub its shoulder to the wheel and do ib ifcselt. '* It is asserted by some that it is impossible to obtain an all-round man, but in this I entirety disagree. At the game time, he is a rara avis, and I do not believe he is to be found outside the British Isles. It therefore behoves the New Zealand Kennel Club to take this question into its most serious consideration. It would save the affiliated clubs much trouble aad pub an end to a matter not wholly ucsarrounded with a good deal of feeling and heartburning until come better arrangement can be substituted." " . • The brace of bluek curly-coafced retriever j puppies which were cent from New Zealand to j Mr A. P. Gribben, of Sydney, by R. WatsoD, of Dunedin, with a vitw of testing our market j for the sale of this breed, have found purchasers in Mr Baeset, solicitor, Carcoar, and Mr Solomon, of Chabswood. They are promising puppies, and are by the imported dog Rewi Drake ex Rewi Nell, bo^h big prize- j winners. It is well th.at purchasers were foucd i fcr them here (says a writer in the Sydney Mail), as it is a breed that we are very deficient of in the colony. The classes for curly-coated retrievers are usually well filled at our prominent canine shows, but ib is rare to find any of aven medium quality benched, so that the introduction of the pure breed will be an advantage in tendiDg to popularise » useful class of animal. j ".' "Clubman": — "During tho week fox j terrier f»nciei % 3 will be on the tip-toe of excitement, the cause being the arrival of five excellent specimens of the breed from New Zealand. The following are shortly the particulars of the tykes : Dusky D'Orsay (imp.), by Champion D'Orsay — Duj>ky Bes, to the order of Mr W. Hamilton ; Darkie Dominie (imp.); by Dominie — Deposed, to the order of Mr T. F. Thompson ; Torment, by Despoiler — Diversion, to the order of Mr Moses ; Treachery, by Du*ky D'Orsay — Diversion, to the order of Mr P. R. Russell ; Treason, by Dusky D'Orsay — Diversion, to the order of Mr J. A. Dean. The above terriers will be a very valuable acquisition to the fancy here, as they are exceedingly wpII bred, aud come from'a strain of blood well known in England as Mr Francis Redmond's. Ab present we have none of the same strain here, all our leading terrier men having principally what is known .as the Vicary blood in their kennela. However, the two combined should produce something good, and I wish the purchasers good luck with their respective animals. Mr Triggs, of Wellington, New Zealand, the well-known importer and breeder, was the late owner .of the dogs referred to, and this gentleman, who haß lor years taken a keen interest in this class of dog, has been compelled to part with the pick of his kennel." • . • The Stockkeeper reports the death of Mr Hugh Dalztel, a gentleman whose mmc •will be familiar to all who have taken an interest in dogs and dog nhows during the past 25 years. The late Mr Dalziel has for many years bean a contributor to the leading journals in England which devots some portion of their columns to kennel matters. As the author of several works on dogs he is also well known to fanciers, and his "British Dogs" and "The Diseases of Dogs and Their Treatment " have been widely rea§ by lovers of dogs in all parts of the world. He also originated the Kennel Chronicle, and produced stud books of the fox terrier, collie, and Sb. Bernard. Some year 3 ago he was one of the most popular allround judges" in Great Britain ; bub failing health compelled him to relinquish his judging duties, although he retained his love for doga until the time of his death. ' . • Robert L. Stevenson, in an es«ay on the "Pastoral," tolls how it happened that John received such an exceedingly liberal offer for the collie. John had bought some sheep in Edinburgh, and, when leaving the town, the road beiag crowded, two were lost. The loss of the sheep was a reproach to John and a slur on the dog, and both were alive to their misfortune. Word came after some days that a farmer about Braid had found a pair of cheep, and thither went John and the dog to a»k for restitution. Bub the farmer was a hard man, and stuck uoon his rizhts. "How were they

marked ? " he asked. As John had bought right and left from settlers he had no notion of the marks. "Very well," said the farmer, " then it's only right that I should keep them." " Well," said John, after a moment's thought, " it's a fact that I canna' tell the sheep, but if my dog can will ye let me have them ? " The farmer was honest as well as hard ; besides he had little fear of the ordeal. So he had all the sheep on his farm driven into a large park, and turned John's dog into the midst. That hairy man of business knew his errand well. He knew that John had bought two sheep, and he had looked on while the purchase was made, and, to their shame, hsd lost them about Boroughmuirhead. Without pause or blunder he singled out, first one and then another, the two waifs. It was that afternoon the £40 was offered and refused.