HUMOURS OF THE SHOW-RINGS 315 



Fanciers ") and his beautiful wife, who always used 

 to grace the shows by her presence, and took a keen 

 interest in many of the animals shown, besides being 

 an exhibitor in some of the classes. The Chair- 

 man intimated to me that the inmates of the Royal 

 Kennel should stand well in the Prize List. I told 

 him " every dog entered would be judged by me strict- 

 ly on its merits, and if it was afterwards found the 

 Royal Dogs were amongst the Prize Winners, none 

 would be more pleased than I should, but I could not 

 say or do more than that, and I was sure H. R. H. 

 would wish his dogs to stand, or fall, on their merits 

 alone! " Since then I have very often had the honour 

 of judging dogs from the Royal Kennels, both Sand- 

 ringham and Windsor. 



I remember it so happened that the first time Her 

 Majesty the Queen exhibited any dogs, nearly all Her 

 Majesty's entries came into my classes at a Great 

 London show. Soon after my entering the build- 

 ing I went to have a look at my classes, and 

 shortly afterwards, the secretary came up to me 

 and said, " Do you know you have the great hon- 

 our of being the first man to judge any dogs from 

 Her Majesty's kennels?" I said, "I have heard 

 so." He then said, " Well, I am most anxious 

 they should all be in the prize list, as I consider it a 

 high honour that Her Majesty has allowed them to be 

 entered." I said, " That is all right enough, but al- 

 though I will not admit Her Majesty has a more loyal 

 or devoted subject than myself, I am here in a public 

 capacity as a judge, and if Her Majesty's dogs are en- 



