PROPERTIES OF THE POUTER. 145 



relative importance. This will be seen by the following table 

 of the properties, as placed by different authorities. 



Moore. 



1. Length of body. 



2. Length of legs. 



3. Neatness of crop. 



4. Slender-ness of girth. 



5. Beauty of feather. 



Tegetmeier. 



1. Length of limb. 



2. Length of feather. 



3. Slenderness of body. 



4. Size and car. of crop. 



5. Colour. 



Fulton and Ure. 



1 . Length of limb. 



2. Slenderness of girth. 



3. Crop. 



4. Length of feather. 



5. Colour and marking. 



It will be seen that all modern writers agree in valuing 

 length of limb most and colour least in the last following 

 Moore but differ in all the rest. We prefer the order of the 

 two Scotch authorities of those above ; but, as far as we can 

 follow the judging of late years, our impression is that crop 

 now comes next to liinb, and we shall therefore enumerate the 

 properties as : 1. Limb ; 2. Crop ; 3. Slenderness of body ; 4. 

 Length of feather ; 5. Colour and marking. 



The " limb," or leg, requires to be long, properly placed and 

 shaped, and properly feathered. The length is measured by 

 pressing the back of a pen-knife or similar article close against 

 the top of the thigh, stretching out the whole as far as possible 

 without pain, and measuring from the blade to the very end 

 of the toe-nail. A difference in " pull " will add an eighth of 

 an inch, so that fanciers pull pretty tight ; and a long nail 

 will also make a difference, on which account we have often 

 thought it would be fairer to measure to the root of the 

 toe-nail. In practice, however, birds are only measured in 

 judging when it is a very fine point, but are taken by the 

 eye as they stand in the pen with others : the only way in 

 which it is possible to judge fairly the many points of a 

 Pouter. A bird seven inches in length is first-rate so far as 

 length goes, and very rarely is an extra eighth or quarter 

 attained. Much of the apparent length depends on the shank 

 being long in proportion to the thigh, and the foot being well set 

 on; and a good Pouter fancier will attach more importance 



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