204 Caxaries and Cage-Birds. 



The remaining Articles refer principally to internal details and are exceedingly stringent in 

 their character. 



In addition to these rules we also give a copy of the ordinary form of a Belgian pro- 

 spectus, the equivalent of our " schedule," to which we shall presently have occasion to refer. 

 The classification of birds in each parent society being identical, no reference to any system 

 appears to be deemed necessary in the prospectus. 



SociErY OF Canaries under the Motto "Young and Willing to Learn." 

 To be held in " De roode Port" Klein Tiirkeijc, No. 14, Ghent. 



Gentlemen, — Tn a meeting, the 3rd of June, 1877, we have fixed fora public competition, to be given for " Liefhebbcrs," who 

 are members of a Canary society in this country, which shall take place the second Sunday in January, 1878. 



Conditions. 



Article I. — There shall be a " Prix d'Honncur" given, of the value of thirty francs. 



Article 2.— Each " Liefhebber" being a member of a Canary society* shall have the right to enter from one to four birds for 

 competition, the contribution (entrance fee) to be five francs for each competing bird. There shall no birds, on punishment of 

 confiscation, be brought to compete belonging to persons other than those in whose name they have been entered. 



Article 3. — Four "experts" shall together judge the birds, and should their opinions be equally divided, a fifth expert alone, to be 

 chosen by the owners of the competing birds, shall, without being spoken to about either the one or the other, decide. The experts 

 shall not be the owners of birds in the contest. 



Article 4. — The four societies having the greatest number of entries, but at the least four, shall have the right to elect an 

 expert, but no town shall elect more than two. The fifth expert shall be a stranger to the town. 



Article 5. — It is positively forbidden that any bird be brought for competition that is not a young one, that is to say, which 

 has not been hatched during the summer preceding the exhibition. Should other birds be sent for competition, they will be sold for 

 the bene'it of the society. 



Article 6. —Each year, on the 15th August, the entrance list will be closed. The Committee of the society in each town shall 

 collect the money from their members and hand it over to the Secretary. 



Article 7. — The entrance of all additional birds m ist take place before November iSth in each year. After this date can no 

 birds bf- entered. The entrance fee of additional birds must be paid on the day of entry. 



Article 8. — All comp-titors are asked to attend the distribution of prizes. Those absent, whose birds have won prizes, will be 

 fined to the extent of a fourth part of the value of the prize. An excuse will be entertained for those absent on account of sickness. 



Article 9. — The competing birds must be brought in on the Friday preceding the competition, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The 

 judging will begin on Saturday and end the same day. The distribution of prizes will take place on Sunday at 10 a.m. The birds 

 shall hang for exhibition until 4 p. ra. Each ' ■ Liefhebber " taking part in the contest shall have the right to hang up three other birds 

 at the exhibition. 



Article 10. — All incidents which take place during the competition and exhibition shall be made the subject of a 

 *' proces verbal." 



Article II. — The day of the contest is by the rules fixed, and under no condition can be altered. The decision of the judges 

 shall be final. All other affairs which have been overlooked shall be settled by the Committee of Management. 



Our Foreign Correspondent continues his interesting explanation of Canary competition in 

 Belgium as follows : — 



" The points of contrast between societies here and in England must be kept well in 

 mind, especially the following three : i. The countenance given to them by the authorities 

 of the towns. 2. There is not that spirit of gain in these contests which is so perceptible in 

 England ; for in the majority of cases the value of the prizes lies in a great measure in the honour. 

 3. The strict rules limiting the number of entries, confining them to young birds, and excluding all 

 not bred by the exhibitor, destroy every possibility of monopoly, the fruitful source of grievance 

 in England. An exhibitor must be a member of a society, with very rare exceptions, and the 

 society of which he is a member feels itself morally responsible for his honesty, and would be the 

 first to discountenance and detect any falling off in this respect. The prizes are provided out of 

 the funds of the society, plus any communal gift, and we know of nothing like holding a show on 

 speculation and then possibly falling short of what was anticipated ; but the monthly subscriptions, 



* This regulation that competing " Liefliebbers " shall be members of some society appears to be the rule, though in the 

 prospectus of the Society of Fraterjiization, another Flemish community, the following appears as an .addendum to this Article: 

 " Nevertheless, to encourage l^ird-breeding, persons shall be allowed to take part in the competition svho are not members of a 

 society, on condition of paying eleven francs for the first bird entered, and five francs for each following bird." 



