THE KENNEL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2921, 9 March 1910, Page 35

THE KENNEL.

The Ofcago Witness has bean appointed the official organ for the publication of announcements ef the Dunediu Fanciers' Club.

By Tekhob. ■Paneicrs and- braeders of dogs are cordially in» vited to contribute to this column. " T«rr»r " win endeavour to make this department as interestioj? aad up-to-date as possible, but in order to do this he must hare the co-operatioa of his readers, hence he Urust* this invitation will be chaerinUf responded to.' - There seems to bo a great deal of misapprehension legarding the term ''Laverack'' in the setter world: It should be understood that there is really no such breed of setter as the "Laverack." Tho term is frequently used, but it refers to the English setter in all its colours. Th>> term "La.verack" has come from the late Mr E. Laverack, who was for many years prominently associated with English setters in England. The late Mr H. Dalaiel, in British Dog's, says:—Difficult as it admittedly ,is to trace the history of any of our modern breeds of clogs, although in so many instances their manufacture, if I may use the term, into their present form is Of comparatively recent date, there is. in re'spebt to the setter, a general agreement among writers and breeders that our present dog is largely derived from the spaniel. Indeed, the proofs of this are Very conclusive; the iamily likeness is in many respects yet strongly preserved, and in some kennels where they have kept pretty much to their own blood., following different lines from, our show and field trial breeders, this is most markedly so." The same authority goes on to say that whether the modern setter has been produced from tho spaniel by careful selection or by cross with the pointer or sonic other breed it is difficult to decide. Many have supposed that the flat coat has been obtained by a cross, but selection would quite account for that. _ as well as the change in formation and in style, of standing (to game, instead of crouching or dropping as tho setting dog used with the

net was trained to do. From the above quotation, which, by the way, Mr W. Beilby, in his "Book on the Dog," says he has never seen refuted, it would appear that in the setter family their origin' is not quite so shrouded as in many other breeds. There was once a general opinion that the English setter was a. delicate class of dog. Mr Robinson, an English authority, in a letter to Mr Vero Shaw, said: —"I am afraid that your remarks on the Laveraeks, as to their supposed delioaoy and crossing, are calculated to createan unfavourable impression of the breed. .First, I may tell you that there is no Na worth Castle blood in them, although Mr Laverack did cross with that blood as an experiment,, as he did also with several other strains, but none were satisfactory (with one exception), so that he did not perpetuate the crosses. I may add that about 1871-72 he bred a cross with one of his best bitches. One of the litter was a very handsome black dog, which he offered me, but, like himself, I abominate a crossbred animal, no matter how handsome. The black dog was sold or given' to a brother of Mr E. Armstrong. The Armstrongs believe that a dash of the Naworth Castle are in the Laveracks—quite a mistake. The only cross Mr Laverack retained in his breed was the Edmond Castle. It is now nearly 40 years ago, and at that time this strain was as good and pure_ as his own, and the dog he crossed with was a wonderful performer, medium sized and splendidly formed, colour liver and white, and this is where the latter comes from. Both the dam and sire are mentioned in his book ('The Setter'), but not 'as being a cross. It was one of poor Laverack's secrets. Rothwell was an old and esteemed friend of Mr Laverack's, and the puppies he- bred were out of -a. pure bitch by Blue Prince, so that they_ were Laverack's own blood. Two of the nine that died were in my possession"—Eclipse and. Dash.

For the information of "Clumber," I give the standard of excellence of the Clumber spaniel, as follows: Head.—Large, square, and massive, of medium length, broad on top, with a decided occiput; heavy brows with a deep stop; . heavy freckled muzzle, with welldeveloped flew.

Eyes.—Dark amber, slightly sunk, and showing haw. Ears.—Large, vine leaf shaped, and well covered, with, straight hair, and! hanging slightly forward, the feather not to extend below the leather. <

Nedk.—Very thick and powerful, and well leathered underneath. Body (including size and symmetry).— Long and heavy, and near the ground. ] os,e Square and flesh coloured. Shoulders and Chest,—Wide and deep; shoulders strong and muscular. Back and Loin.—Back straight, broad and long; lo.in powerful, well let down in flank.

Hindquarters.—Very powerful and well developed. , Stern.—Set low, well feathered, and carried about level with the back Feet and Legs.—Feet large and round, well covered with hair; legs short, thick, and strong; hocks low. Coat.—Long, abundant, soft, and straight . colour.—Plain white, with lemon markings ; orange permissible, but not desirable; slight head markings with white body preferred.

General Appearance.—Should be that of a,long, low heavy, very massive dog, with a thougntful expression. Weight of dogs from 551 b to 651 b; bitches 4olb to 551 b.

•Negative Points.—Curled ears, curled coat, bad canag,& of tail, snipy face, lejrsiness, light eyes. "

—Mr James Farrow in an article on spaniels shows conclusively that at one time the Blenheim, "now simply regarded ae a toy, was used for sporting purposes; beinotrained specially to flush woodcocks, and being held in high esteem by sportsmen. With regard to the Clumber, to which many people assign a French origin, Mr Farrow is of opinion that they could easily have been produced by a cross between the old sporting Blenheim and the field soaniel or springer. We are further reminded that the' spaniel was first broken to set partridges and other feathered game by Dudley Duke, of Northumberland, in 1335.

trated Kennel News is: a. reproduction of an illustration of a fox terrier by De Wilde, in which is depicted a dog that is undoubtedly black and tan- in colour. This, no doubt, led the late Mr Rawdon Lee to claim that the early fox terrier was of this colour. De Wilde's picture appeared in 1806, and shows us nuite a sturdy looking dog, with excellent legs, but rather long feet. It would, however, be wrong to infer that all terriers were marked in this manner at the beginning of the last century, for " Thoughts on Bunting" was written by Beckford 20 years earlier, and he says: "I should prefer the black or white, terrier: some there are so like a fox that awkward people frequently mistake one for the other." Thus it will be seen that we have mention of at least three different colours.

Young puppies, especially at the time when they are changing their teeth, have sometimes, says Mr A. \T. Sewell, M.R.C.V.S., a form of hysteria brought about by excitement, especially in hot weather. . Symptoms: The puppy rushes here and there, not knowing where it is going or what it J 6 doing, biting and sbaq-

ping at everything within reach, and screaming and howling as if it was being unmercifully beaten. Saliva pours from the mouth, ana many a one has been destroyed during such an attack, it being supposes ro have gone mad. Treatment; Place the puppy in a basket, and put in a quiet, dark place. It cannot be made to swallow anything during the attack, but medicine in the form of an enema may be given, as from 10 (according to the size of the dog) to 50 drops each of laudanum and sulphuric, either in from one to four tabiespoonfuls of tepid water. A course of bromide must be given afterwards for some time to prevent a recurrence of the attack. Dose, according to the size cf the dog, from three to 10 grains with milk, or in a little water, three times a day. Keep on a light diec and give no meat. not help very much, intelligent nursing doing more good than anything. To prevent distemper is easifer than to cure it. And stock that are kept free from worms seldom contract the disease. It, therefore, behoves every dog fancier to treat his canine pets for worms every four or six weeks, whether they show signs of having worms or not. There is a form of contagious gastritis which can be mistaken easily for distemper, and which is nearly as fatal. It is known by some as German distemper. The complaint is characterised by severe vomiting and great wasting, while -the temperature rises several points at first, ultimately falling below normal. Dysentery may also make its appearance, and the eyes will probably be congested. Of course, the patient must at once be out upon a liquid diet, and no water should be given, vichy wafer and milk in equal quantities taking its place. Whites of egg mixed with cold milk will be found very soothing to the stomach and intestines, and a predigested food, such as Bengers, may be retained when everything else is rejected. Mr A. J. Sewell suggests as medicine from one to five drops of cyllin—according to the size of the sufferer —thrice daily in gelatine capsules. He also warns_,us that a relapse may occur if solid food is resorted to too soon. This should not be given until fully a week after the dog seems to be well. Lack of this precaution is also responsible for many deaths after distemper. Most people are too anxious to get the clog on to its natural diet again. No doubt thev t,limit it kind to gratify its appetite. Either in distemper or in specific gastritis the mouth is apt to become ulcerated, and it should he washed out with a mild solution of Condy’s fluid two or three times a day. Cases have been known where the' gums have become so badly diseased as to recede until the teeth have dropped out. TALKATIVE ANIMALS. —Scientist’s Dictionary of “ Words” They Use and Meanings. — After many years close study, Dr Anton Langfeldt, of Zell, Hamnwsbach, Germany, has just published a wonderful book on the minds of animals as compared with the mind of man. In connection with this book Dr Langfeldt has compiled a dictionary of animal language, in which the noises or “words” of twelve well-known animals and birds are classified according to their meaning. By casually glancing at the dictionary one learns that when a sparrow cries “Yip, yep, yep!” or a horse whinnies “Himmham hanhan!” they arc both expressing a sense of joy or gratification of desire. Some extracts from Dr Langfeldt’s animals’ dictionary are as follows: —

Two animals, the hare and the deer, have only one “word” or sound, according to Dr Langfeldt. When in pain the hare squeaks “Lee!” while a hungry deer cries “Hoean'i” It will be seen from the above list that th© bear xnd the cow have no “word” expressive of joy> The tortoise emits a low coughing sound when in pain or anger. Dr Langfeldt, in another chapter, compares puppies and babies. H© is very mat-ter-of-faot. “ There are some points of similarity between the babe and the puppy, especially in the voice,” he says. “ The loud cry of the baby who wants food 1 is not unlike that of the puppy under the same, condition, and the tones of satisfaction are somewhat alike.” Other points of the doctor’s summing up between the baby and the puppy seem to show a verdict in favour of the latter. Do animals and birds communicate their desires or fears to each other by means of these sounds or “words”? Dr Langfeldt has gone deeply into the question in the affirmative. Bears, dogs, and apes are notable instances of this. Even fish have apparently some means of communication.

"it has been noticed that when a fish has been hooked and escaped it approaches the other fish and seems to 'tell' them of danger, after which all avoid the spot where the hook dangles," says Dr Langfeldt.—Daily Mirror.

Animal. Hunger or Yearning Joy. Anger. Pain. Horse .. Hanhan hanhan Himm nam banhai Yooaw Yea wow Dog .. Himm How how Eh how (Jnurr ha haf Eow cow o D Baby (human) Anhow Heheh Eh ee eh Eeh eew eah Cat Miawow Schnurr Yowaw, aauwan Yowow Sparrow Eep, ecp Yip, yep, yep He e pa pe pe Ip ip ip Tortoise Chouou (low) Chenn (low) — Cow Bnuh Huuhh He°oohh Bear .. Uhmm — Huihhuhmm Heee