i'6S The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 



expense of engaging many arbitrators ; as even in my own case, when requiring repayment 

 simply of travelling expenses and bed, the cases are numerous where inability to pay even this 

 slight amount is stated to arise from there being " no funds to fall back upon this year," on account 

 of the miserably unfortunate weather, or some other like contingency. 1 have many such instances 

 on hand, and do not myself see the way to improvement from any increased outlay by the 

 managers of such meetings. 



" It is to be borne in mind I quite approve of a colleague, and think it decidedly best for 

 each pair of judges to be answerable for their own decisions ; but I may confidently ask, where 

 did it ever occur that more than two judges acting together did the work as promptly, or with 

 improved accuracy of awards .' 



" I cannot recommend more strongly than deserved the advantages of the so-called ' Field 

 Judging-books,' the principle of which, I may however add, I first enjoj-ed under the ivrittcn 

 award-books of Messrs. Jennison, of the Belle Vue Manchester show, some time previous to 

 their introduction at Whitehaven, or being issued in a printed form from the Field office. In 

 short, these books, by the aid of duplicate numbers, check themselves ; ensure accuracy of the 

 returns made ; save much talking ; and, what is of still more value, save time." 



When time is short, the quickest way of judging is, in a preliminary walk through the class, to 

 mark off all pens possessing no particular claims to notice, and then more deliberately to consider 

 the rest ; but the best plan is, as described by Mr. Teebay, to attach marks to the more deserving 

 pens, deciding their rank by degrees. In doubtful cases the scales may help to decide, but as a 

 rule the less tliese arbiters are used the better, though a good pair should always be at the 

 service of the arbitrators. Judging-books should consist of numbers only, the headings of the 

 classes and particu'ars as to cups, &c., being placed in proper positions. The pattern mentioned 

 above, and sold as the Field books — though they were in use, as noted by both the able judges 

 just quoted, long before thought of or issued from the Field office- — are simply duplicate columns 

 for such numbers, and also for the awards, with a perforation between for tearing one set off 

 and handing to the committee, and space at the top for any needful particulars as to classes 

 and other matters. They are still better prepared with rather narrower columns in triplicate, 

 and perforated, when one set can be kept by the judge, one by the committee for reference 

 and putting on prize cards, and the third sent at once to the printer without the delay of copying. 

 It much facilitates the "carding" business if some proofs of the catalogue in- slip are provided, 

 on which the awards can be copied in the margin, to serve as guides to those who perform this 

 duty, which should always go on as fast as the awards are delivered. 



Besides deciding on the ordinary merits of the fowls, judges have to keep an eye upon attempts 

 to deceive in the shape of fraudulent " trimming." No one would wish to be hypercritical in these 

 matters, and we would neither shrink ourselves nor seek to debar any one else from extracting any 

 stray broken, bent, or foul feather which, left in, would disfigure an otherwise beautiful bird. Some 

 have professed to be unable to see any line of demarcation between such and actual fraud ; but 

 common sense and common honesty will draw such easily. To remove an accidental blemish is 

 not fraud ; to remove so much as to alter the character of a bird, is fraud, and against all such 

 attempts judges have to be constantly on their guard. The modes of fraud are legion. Yellow legs 

 are imparted by tincture of iodine ; this is best tested with starch. The legs of Game and some 

 other fowls are sometimes varnished to give them the proper appearance ; this can generally 

 be detected by strong spirits. Feathers are also dyed, which can very often be detected, on 

 suspicion, by a white handkerchief slightly moistened. The frauds most difficult of detection 



