94 
The Illustrated Bools of Plgeons. 
these latter, when asked, to give at least their reasons for any particular award. Such a plan has 
* been in use for some time at the best Scotch shows, and the results of it fully warrant us in 
recommending it for more general adoption. Indeed, we are not going beyond the truth when we 
say that, in any case of at all good competition, it is absolutely impossible to judge Carriers 
properly except in actual juxtaposition, and judging in any other circumstances is a farce. But let 
a judge see two birds of high merit side by side ; and whether he judges by any scale of points or 
not, he is at least compelled to form some definite notion as to why he prefers one bird to the 
other ; and it is both for his comfort and his credit that he should be able to state these grounds 
for his decision to dissatisfied or inquisitive competitors. 
The above, then, are the conclusions we have come to during many years’ experience, as to 
the points of a perfect Carrier, and the relative value of the various properties. We have been 
urged to modify them, so as to make a total of ioo points. We would gladly have done so, but 
that such artificial symmetry must have been attained at the expense of what we have found and 
believe to be the real comparative values according to good judging, which it will be our object to 
present throughout the present work, as most likely to be of practical use to our readers. 
