Difficulties in Framing a Correct Scale. 



235 



Points of Merit. 



Head and Comb ...... S 



Neck Hackle ....... 3 



Saddle or Cushion ...... 6 



Carriage of Wings ...... 4 



Fluff 6 



Legs and Leg-feathers ..... 5 



Form and Carriage of Tail 3 



General Shape and Carriage .... 15 



Colour and Markings . . ... . .22 



Size . . . . . . . . .18 



Condition 10 



Points to Count against tie Bird. 



Viilfure-hock . . . . . . .15 



White in Tail (where objectionable) ... 10 

 Primaries out of order . . . . .12 



White in Deaf-ears 10 



In this shape the table was submitted some time since to Mr. Hewitt ; and in his reply, giving 

 reasons why in his opinion no scale could be formulated which would meet all cases, he made one 

 remark especially which finally caused us, while preserving general proportions, to radically 

 reconstruct the whole. "Circumstances," he observed, "are constantly arising which bear very 

 strongly against fixed points ; to wit, I have seen some of the very best birds so worn out in 

 condition [from over-showing] that no one could conscientiously give them any notice, yet the best 

 in all other points. Of these one died during the show ; the remaining two following suit, one in a 

 week, the other about three weeks and a half afterwards." Now this remark is perfectly just, for it 

 is obvious that to lose the ten points for want of condition would by no means meet the case here 

 supposed, and which had been omitted by us, as by others, on the ground that it was too obvious to 

 need tabulation. On its being thus mentioned, however, by such an authority, we felt that such a 

 ground of omission was untenable ; but when we proceeded to add to the table of defects an item 

 for such utter loss of condition as had been spoken of, it became evident that the whole system of 

 tabulating excellencies was fundamentally wrong, and that a plan which had occurred to us some 

 years since, of valuing defects solely, offered the only sound basis for a table of points. Judging 

 really is, in fact, a question more of defects than of excellencies, since without some general 

 approach to excellence no bird can have any place in a good class. Such a plan also meets another 

 difficulty, which in forming our own scales we had encountered again and again, and which consists 

 in the fact that the number of points given to one feature, while as much as could be allotted 

 consistently with the proportionate value of other individual points, were often not enough 

 compared with the total value of a perfect bird. This has been discovered by others besides 

 ourselves, and is hinted at in the very last issue of the New York Poultry Bulletin, come to hand 

 just as this is going to press ; the editor justly remarking that " there may be one slight defect 

 amounting almost to a disqualification, and still the bird will foot tip more points than any other 

 bird in the exhibition-room — yet any good breeder would condemn him on sight." The difficulty 

 arises from the necessity of not only making the values of various points proportionate with each 

 other, but of keeping the total within the ideal number. On the other hand, by starting from the 

 standard or highest value, and simply deducting what may be necessary, we are free from this 

 necessity ; we are no longer obliged to keep the sum of our points within our ideal or perfect 

 number, but can give them what weight we find necessary as compared with that number, as well 

 as compared with each other ; and hence, if only calculations are correct, ought to be able to meet 

 nearly if not quite every case that can occur. 



