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Chapter XVI. 
JUDGING EXHIBITION STOCK. 
Judges we possess in plenty, but, unfortunately, too many so-called aU-roniid ones and too few specialists. 
It is an undoubted fact that few men possess the knowledge (covering many breeds) of the minor and finer 
differences which go towards making a bird valuable from an Exhibition point of view. For instance, dtick 
feet or crooked breast in any variety tvhatsoei'cr should he att absolute disqualification for the Shotv pen, and, 
we think, rightly so ; but how often it may be noticed that birds duck-footed or crooked-breasted have first 
prize cards attached to their pens. Feathered legs in some varieties, such as the Orpington, for instance, 
is a disqualification, but we have repeatedly seen birds of this variety winning with feathers on the shanks. 
In a number of cases individual opinion is substituted for recognised authentic standards, with the result that 
many a young beginner is disgusted with the discrepancies existing between the winning specimen of the 
breed and the bird described by the standard. We have noticed specialist breeders exhibiting two or more 
birds in the one class, the Judge awarding the highest honours to the most inferior specimen. This does not 
affect the exhibitor in instances where he may own all the winners ; but is sadly disappointing when an 
inferior bird, on standard points, belonging to another exhibitor, is placed in front. We are strongly of the 
opinion that all Judges should be instructed to handle the specimens that they consider to be in the money 
before final adjudication, as by this means many faults that are not patent by a superficial examination would 
be exposed; and far more satisfaction given generally. By having specialist Judges to officiate in the 
respective breeds, there is far less danger of birds that are " faked " or " trimmed " passing the Judge, and 
this to the honest exhibitor means a great deal. Procuring specialist Judges would only apply to the principal 
fixtures in the Colonies, the plan not being possible to carry out in the smaller Shows, owing to the great 
expense that would be incurred ; but as the classes are very much smaller, and the birds exhibited, as a 
general rule, inferior, at these Shows, there would not be nearly the same responsibility attached to the 
judging of the exhibits. In all cases, however, at Provincial Shows the judging .should be entrusted to two 
men, one to take the hard-feathered, the other the soft feathered classes, as it is a very rare occurrence to 
find one man who can capably judge the Asiatic breeds, then do the same with the Game varieties and 
Hamburgs. At the same time it is an easy matter to criticise the awards of any Judge, no matter how 
competent he may be, solely because no bird yet produced has been absolutely perfect. This being read by 
beginners and others, allows them to form the conclusion that the birds were not capably judged, owing 
frequently to the critic faulting the winner, and failing to demonstrate the vast superiority of even this faulty 
bird over the other competitors. We are solid in our belief that our Judges, without exception, are men of 
integrity, and that in some instances gross mistakes are made by them, through no other fault than incom- 
petency to judge the particular breed — not, as is at times too often suggested by interested exhibitors, that 
they are dishonest. We have heard many and oft groundless charges made wholesale against gentlemen who 
undertake the onerous and thankless task of judging, sometimes made on the spur of the moment, because of 
disappointment at defeat, by others belonging to the win, tie, or wrangle brigade ; and by others, again, who 
do not possess a particle of the true Fancier element in their composition, but seek to win out of mere 
jealousy alone, and do not scruple as to what end or means they stoop to attain the object. 
The extremely variable judging of the various breeds within the past ten years has been most noticeable. 
In some breeds, such as the Brahn>a, the sole idea of the Judges has been to award prizes to those specimens 
which were the nearest approach to Cochins, quite at times ignoring the true Brahma shape and type. At 
other times an excessive amount of leg and foot feathering in the Asiatic breeds pulled them through ; a bird 
that failed in the slightest degree in this respect (no matter how good otherwise), being passed as unworthy of 
