Our  Canaries 
99 
"wrong  class  "at  the  show.  When  the  important  time  arrives  for  sending 
oflf  the  birds,  they  must,  or  should,  have  gone  through  all  the  preparatory 
stages  already  described,  be  allowed  an  hour  or  two  in  show  cage  before 
final  packing,  then  tie  on  the  correct  labels,  pack  up  securely,  and  send  off 
in  good  time,  and  determine  to  either  win  or  lose  with  an  equally  good 
grace. 
ON  THEIR  RETURN. 
When  the  birds  return  from  their  expedition  unpack  them  at  once  in  a 
comfortable  room  quite  free  from  chills  and  draughts,  give  a  little  warm 
water  to  drink,  or,  if  the  weather  is  very  cold  and  severe,  or  the  journey 
has  been  a  long  and  exhausting  one,  give  a  little  warm  milk  in  which  a  few 
drops  of  whisky  have  been  mixed  for  the  first  few  drinks.  Give  also  a  small 
teaspoonful  of  egg  food  with  a  few  drops  of  the  special  port  wine  conditioner 
mentioned  just  now  mixed  in  it — just  enough  to  leave  the  food  still 
crumbly  moist — not  more — as  the  egg  food  should  never  be  given  in  a  wet  or 
sloppy  condition.  Add  another  thirty  drops  of  the  mixture  to  an  ounce  of 
water  and  give  this  in  place  of  drinking  water  until  the  following  day.  Keep 
the  birds  in  a  cosy  room  for  the  first  night  after  their  return,  and  gradually 
harden  them  off,  as  it  were,  before  returning  them  to  the  bird-room.  As 
already  pointed  out,  overshowing  must  be  strictly  guarded  against.  Six  times 
in  a  season  at  a  distance  from  home  should  suffice  to  satisfy  any  fancier 
who  studies  the  welfare  of  his  birds. 
EXHIBITING  FROM  A  JUDGE'S  POINT  OF  VIEW. 
Mr.  J.  C.  Barnes,  in  this  connection,  says: — "Competition,  no  matter  in 
what  variety,  now-a-days,  is  so  extremely  keen,  that  one  must  put  forth  all 
his  energies,  tact  and  so  forth,  when  placing  exhibits  on  the  show  bench,  if 
success  is  to  be  attained.  The  experience  I  have  gained  as  an  exhibitor  and 
judge  I  shall  endeavour  to  state  as  plainly  as  possible,  so  each  and  every 
one  will  grasp  quite  easily  the  hints  I  wish  to  convey.  First  of  all,  pardon 
me  for  placing  before  you  a  motto  that  my  old  school-master  used  to  ding 
into  our  ears  daily,  and  that  was,  'what  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing 
well:  These  words,  I  am  fully  convinced,  are  well  worth  studying  by  those 
whose  ambition  it  is  to  gain  honours  in  the  avicultural  world. 
CLEANLINESS  ESSENTIAL. 
"Well,  now,  for  birds  to  stand  well  up  in  the  cards,  they  must  be  shown 
clean,  as  those  that  are  shown  in  a  dirty  state  stand  down  in  the  majority 
of  cases.  A  good  specimen  is  well  worth  staging  for  all  it  is  worth,  and  a 
moderate  specimen  looks  far  better  when  clean,  than  when  in  a  somewhat 
dilapidated  condition.  I  always  make  it  a  practice  to  wash  my  birds  a 
matter  of  five  days  previous  to  them  facing  the  judge.      By  giving  them  this 
