pen, the body being about one-fourth as thick as its length, and 

 the head nearly one-fourth as long as the entire body, besides. 

 In the longest bird I have seen in the imported stock, in life, the 

 head while longer than the average of Runners, is about one-sev- 

 enth as long as the body, by actual measurement. 



A large number of breeders are using a laughable artificial 

 cut, apparently crayon work, in various sizes. One firm is using 

 a photograph showing a bird posed at about 80 degrees, looking 

 almost perpendicular. One is strongly reminded of a pair of 

 birds of similar pose, as photographed, shown here last year as il- 

 lustrations in one of the poultry prints. Mr. Walton said of this 

 "pair", that the pictures were both of the same bird and that it 

 was stuffed and set up at the required pose. He pronounced it 

 absurd and impossible. 



Another most absurd one is of a group of birds "bred and 

 owned" by So-and-so, every one of which looks as if stamped out 

 by a die, every marking division being mathematically sharp and 

 even; just woodeny studies in what the retoucher's pencil can 

 make the birds appear to be. Imagine the disappointment of a 

 customer who buys from such a fake photograph, — not "from 

 life," but from the brain and fingers of the office man ! Beauti- 

 ful photographs of Runners, in their best poses, but unretouched, 

 are now obtainable. The best, however, are of the white Run- 

 ners and the English Penciled type. Good photographs demand 

 good birds as originals. 



Judging from the birds which appear in the New York shows, 

 the American Standard Runner has improved very rapidly in type 

 during the last two years. It is significant that it has not im- 

 proved in color but rather the reverse. This is significant for 

 three reasons, viz. : (a) it is just about two years since the "new 

 native" blood became available for crossing; (b) the color has 

 grown worse while the type improved; and (c) a breeder of the 

 American Standard birds who is posing as an authority on the 



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