NOTES BY TERROR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2455, 3 April 1901, Page 47

NOTES BY TERROR.

— I take the following from the Field : — I have read Mr Hci rick's remarks in the Field of January 26 regarding telegony, or the influence of a first sire on subsequent progeny of the same female, likewise the editorial communication appended thereto. Into the question of whether there is any real evidence in support of such a theory I liatwally shrink from obtruding myse'f, for though the belief in telegony i- very general amongst bleeders, scientific esperimmis, it would appear, tend most stiongly to pro\e that it does not exist. However, what was in my mind to say i« as follow = : A few years ago. when I hunted a pack of foot beagles, I had a little hound, a'mo^t oil tan, named Joyfu'. I had "her as a puppy, and in due course bred from her. She bad only a small litter — onn do™ and two bitches — and they developed into typical httle foot baagl«s. A year later, through bumpone's blundering she unfortunately found v mate in a fox teriier during my absene-e from home, and. later on, whelped under a haystack, never allowing anvonc. mca.iwHle, to handle her. By. tho time I got btrk to Leicestershire thai summer her pup- v.ire quite a month old. I went off to tbe hayfctack. and Joyful came to me at or.cc. followed by four of the most unmistakable teruers one could ccc and a beautiful httle beagle! An expeiier.ee such as this natu rally induces i> bel'ef in telegony in those who are, like myself, non-scientific. — H. S. Davexport. My comment on tlie foregoing is that the fact of n beagle slut (I presume it wa« a beagle slut, as it is described as a htr'e hound) breeding a beagle pup to a terrier dog is no evidence of telegony, but rath»r evidence of t';e influence of the mother. In poultry nothing is more common than to see crosses following onp parent only in appearance. It would be inteie&tir.g to know whether Mr Da\ enport bred from the beautiful little beagle, and if so, what was the result. Not necessarily mongrels, I believe, for there is a case recorded to the contrary. — London Punch of February 6 has an amusing full page sketch by Phil May. The drawing shows a sturdy-looking Irishman, pipe in one hand and stick in the other, talking to an infuriated compatriot, who has evidently had a bad time. A distance off a whitf bulldog with pciew tail and Pikes patch is listening to the com ei nation. The dialogue is as follows: — Dooley : "What's tl'.e matter wid ye. anyhow, Mick. — al! tattered an' torrun an' bitti v an' s-cratohed all ovei'" Mick . "A\, :ui" no own clou done it 7 I went home la-t night .sober an' tho ba-tG didn't iviiow mo ' — A Woid For the Airedale —Mi G. H. Krohl, who ha< long been an admirer of the Airedale terrier, recently- spoke on the qualities of tho breed at the Aireda'e Club dinner. Mr Krehl he hud followed the Airedale's histoiy from its earliest stages.

when, as the Waterside terrier, it w is discovered by Dr Gordon Stable-*, to bo afterwards called the JJingley tcri.cv, \\vU'< inspired enthusiast gave it a local habitation, and a name by dubbmg it (he A.redalc terrier, which title ha? clung to it r\cr qnce. The speaker knew that it was a emposjto breed, and thought it no dnacuaniage to be eompo-ed of the best in every other variety. He knew that in othpr days if a man was in doubt as to which breed to take up ho bred a litter from an Ah f dale bitch, and fiom the various breeds she threw .n one litter he made his choice of the variety he would hko to keep. But sice those days the Airedale had fixed his size and type. By electing to be a big terrier, he ousted the. In=h terrier, whose followeis were unwisely breeding it a» small as a red fox terrier. Tue Airedale of to-day filled the want of the man who wanted to keep one dog, o fair sized one, that could keep him company all day and defend his home at night, but that one dog. must be a teirieiirrespective of his size, not a terrier in stature, but a terrier in character. Mr Krehl urged the c'aims of the Airedale terrier to be dubbed the National Dog, vice the Bull Dog, whose claim to that proud title has been lecently espoused. The Airedale wa9 made in England, not in Germany or Spain; he lepresented the best biood of the best British varieties, pud he was conseqently essentially British bred. And as testimony to his pluck and intelligence, he was the only breed that fore'gn armies, after many trials, had chosen for their war dogs. It musk be admitted that these statements were received by ;' rii\ed audience with varying feelings of emotion.