Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-11-28
REMARKABLE CANNES.
wild Dogs In Maryland and the Pnriah
Dogs of India.

To the Editor Of the Free Press
Through the Kindness of my friend
J. r. Baldwin. was invited to spend
week at mis- beautiful villa near
Aberdeen, Md. and join him in shoot
ing ducks on Chesapeake Bay and
other game in the vicinity. I arrived
at his place the day before the season
for duck shooting opened. We arose
the next morning at two o'clock, had
our breakfast, and We're located on
the bay long before daylight. We
waited patiently for the houur of five
o'clock to arrive. No one is allowed
to show light until that hour. When
five o'clock came, it seemed to ne
that at least n thousand lights flashed
all over the bay. The sight reminded
me OF myrads of firctlies on a dark
night in the country. Soon after
daylight the ducks began to fly, and
now the sport commenced. The num-
Der of hunters was legion. and the
constant report of hundreds of guns
made one imagine he was in the midst
of a great battle. This continued
nearly the whole day and the slaugh-
ter must have been very great. The
largest number bagged by any one
hunter MS far as I know. was 204 The
last day we spent on the bay we Wis
tied the FISH and gun club OF which
George Gould Is member. The 10.
cation Is beautiful. and the clubhouse
Is magnificent. One of the bylaws
81 this club is that no one can be-
come a member unless he Is MIL
lionaire Although they treated us
very Hospitality. decided not to
make application for membership at
that time. I was greatly surprised
TO find game so plentiful in such an
old settled country as Maryland. Rab-
bits were numerous: more SO than l
have ever seen them elsewhere. Gray
squirrels and quail were quite plenti-
full; badgers, opossums and coons were
also to be found in quito large num-
bers, One party l was told, recently
killed 81 opossums and four coons
during on. nights hunt. waile hunt
ing in the woods one OF our party
found a wild dog puppy. The wild
mother had become frightened at our
approach and mad tried to carry her
puppies away. but not having suffi-
cient time Ind left this one where IT
was found He is large puppy for
ms age, JET nldCk, with EIpSSN f'ut
and his head resembles that of a
bloodhound. ! now have this wild
puppy at my nome in Buffalo. He
takes kindly to the bottle and seems
to bc In a prosperous condition. l am
told that these wild dogs have exist
ed in that part OF Maryland for many
years IL Is also said that fifteen or
twenty miles distant they are mucn
more numerous than they are there.
They have of late increased In numbers,
and recently n bounty has been put
upon them as they have become quite
destructive, killing geese, ducks ana
other poultry, During certain sea
sons of the year t'ey have threatened
to attack people. gentleman whose
acquaintance ! made told me that one
spring, while passing through the
woods. large black wild dog APP
preached him, growing. snarling. and
showing his teeth IN threatening
manner. Having no weapon to defend
himself WITH, he stood sim and faced
the brute while II walked in circle
completely around him. II then walk
ed slowly away and disappeared in
the forest,
am told that several of these wild
puppies have been domesticatcd and
that they make excellent watch dogs,
but very cross and savage. They eX-
| list by feeding ON the carcnsses or
dead animals wnen they can find them,
and undoubtedly capture many rab-
bits and other game. They are very
Wild and will run as quickly from
| man as fox or wolf would, except
| in rare instances, when the have
threatened to attack cople.
l Their origin Is not Known some