Successful Exhibiting. 129 



bestows upon his birds, and the result is to be seen in 

 the innumerable firsts and specials which he captures. 

 Yet more than once have I heard fanciers envious of 

 his success depreciate his birds and his labours by 

 saying, " He's no fancier; he's only a showman." 

 In a way their depreciation adds to the honour gained 

 by the man they belittle, for if he works, as he does 

 work to secure his reward, that reward must be sweet 

 to him, and well deserved. A good bird deserves to 

 be well shown, and a moderate bird even is much im- 

 proved by being well shown. Condition should be a 

 far greater factor in the awards of our .iudges than it 

 is. A man who is careless of the condition in which 

 his birds are shown is not, and cannot be, a true 

 fancier, because he does not consider the health and 

 comfort of his birds. A bird in good condition is 

 a bird in good health, and a bird in good health is 

 happj' and contented, and enjoys life as well as his 

 master, who should, in return for the labour which he 

 bestows on his pets, receive all the encouragement 

 that can iiossibly be given him by our judges. 



The spoils are to the victors on the battlefields 

 of the Fancy, even as they are on fields of a more 

 martial character. Victory usually rests with the 

 leader, who comes into the fraj^ with his guns all 

 trained, his powder dry, and his men fresh, fearless, 

 and confident of \ ictor\ attending their prowe.ss. In 

 a word, the man who never shows his birds ttnless they 

 are fit, and only under men who have the knowledge 

 and experience necessary to appreciate their merits, 

 is the man who attains success. 



EVILS OF OVERSHOWING. 



I wish to sound a warning note against the over- 

 showing of birds, and of birds that are not fit. A 

 .glance through the reports which appear week by week 

 in the columns of " Pigeons," will show that some 

 birds do three shows a week. This is little short of 

 cruelty. If the shows are one-day fixtures within 

 easy distance of home, and the birds are taken to and 

 from shows bv their owners, there is nothing wrong 

 in three shows a week, because the birds can perch 



