64 THE DOGS OF THE BEITISH ISLANDS. 



occur in the Shrewsbury plan. 4th. At Shrewsbury the average performance of 

 each ( dog is estimated by the judges, whether he is down once, twice, or thrice ; 

 whereas under the Kennel Club plan a dog may, on. the average, perform badly, 

 and yet, from happening to be in luck or in good temper in the third or fourth 

 trial may be hailed the winner of the stake, as really happened at Horseheath, 

 even after such a shamefully bad performance as that of Die. We beg most 

 distinctly to state that in the above observations we cast no reflections on this 

 fine bitch, which we greatly admired at Shrewsbury ; and we have reason to 

 believe that she will ultimately turn out to be as good as any setter puppy we 

 have seen this year. What we mean to imply is that every dog should be 

 judged by the average merit displayed by him or her, and not by the results 

 of single trials. In short, our object is that, as far as possible, the luck con- 

 nected with meeting bad or good competitors, or with bad or good ground, should 

 be eliminated from these trials, which, though not attended by any number of 

 spectators, are regarded with great interest by a large body of gentlemen possessed 

 of moors or manors. 



"We have not alluded to the exploded plan of judging according to the 

 number of times each dog finds game during a certain fixed period, because 

 experience has shown its fallacy, and it has been abandoned after fair trial. 

 The choice now lies between the two methods which have this year been fairly 

 tried on nearly equally good ground, with judges of similar powers, and with 

 almost exactly the same dogs competing, but with the great disadvantage at 

 Shrewsbury of having the merits of eighty-five dogs to decide, instead of thirty- 

 one at Horseheath, in the two days devoted to the principal stakes. Under 

 these conditions that the former should have come out equal with the latter is 

 a strong argument in favour of the plan adopted there, especially when it is 

 recollected that, but for the error in judgment alluded to above, which is not 

 inherent in the plan, its superiority at all points would have been displayed. 

 In this comparison we have not alluded to the subject of byes, which have no 

 unfair tendency at Shrewsbury, but are of necessity an evil in the Kennel 

 Club plan." 



During the early part of this year (1882) a movement has been commenced 

 by Mr. Brewis in the Kennel Club to dispense with the heats plan, and a majority 

 have voted against it, but up to the time of this chapter going to press, no final 

 decision has been arrived at except that a new plan of some kind is to be adopted. 



