FOR THE FIELD AND FIELD TRIALS. 269 



still further aggravate the anti-climax, and a com- 

 petition which was once well in hand and definite as 

 to its results will then become indeterminate on the 

 competition shown, and nothing is left for the judges 

 but to settle it arbitrarily. 



It is a most embarrassing situation for the judges 

 when the best dogs have been run to a standstill, 

 while others, less deserving, are fresher from una- 

 voidable circumstance and accidental advantage, 

 such as running in the cool parts of the day, or in bet- 

 ter parts of the ground and with better opportunities 

 on birds, and may make the best final showing. 



The last impressions are the most realistic and the 

 best remembered, so that the good work of the best 

 dogs in the commencement of a trial is not so impres- 

 sive as the good work of any kind of a dog at the 

 conclusion, when the best dogs have been incapaci- 

 tated from excessive competition. 



There is always a small percentage of grumblers 

 at field trials regardless of the wisdom of the man- 

 agement or the decisions of the judges, and of these 

 the shallowest is generally the most assertive and the 

 most malicious. 



The "kicker" is not obsolete at trials, though his 



