EXHIBITIONS AND THE FANCY TRADE 293 



brevity, shows at which poultry is the principal feature are called 

 simply poultry shows, although they often include other kinds of 

 domestic birds and all kinds of small domestic animals. 



A large poultry show, with a great variety of exhibits of birds 

 and of the appliances used in aviculture, affords an excellent 

 opportunity to see good specimens of many kinds. Those who 

 have such an opportunity ought to make the most of it. But 

 the novice who can attend only small shows will find that, while 

 he does not see as many different kinds of birds there and may 

 not see many really fine specimens, the small show affords the be- 

 ginner a much better opportunity to learn something about the dif- 

 ferences that affect quality and value in fancy poultry arid pigeons. 



At the large show there is so much to see, and the differ- 

 ences between the winning specimens in any class are usually 

 so slight, that only those who are familiar with many varieties 

 can make a critical examination of the exhibits. At the smaller 

 shows the varieties are not as numerous, the competing classes 

 are smaller, and the differences between the specimens which 

 win prizes are often plainly apparent, even to a novice, if he 

 has a clue to the method of making the awards. Those who 

 visit large shows can use their time to best advantage if they 

 make as careful a study as they can of the few things in which 

 they take the most interest, and take just a casual look at every- 

 thing else. In the four or five days that it is open to the public 

 it is not possible for any one to make a thorough, discriminat- 

 ing inspection of all that there is to be seen at a large poultry 

 show, and an experienced visitor to such shows never tries to do 

 so. At many of the small shows even a novice, by studying the 

 exhibits systematically, may get a very good idea of all the classes 

 and may add something to his accurate knowledge of a number 

 of different kinds of birds. 



Rudiments of judging. While even an ordinary poultry show 

 contains a great deal that is of interest to those who know how to 

 get at it, the visitor who does not know how to study the exhibits 



