Ingenuity of Trimmers. 
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consist in the pulling out of feathers ; which is very hard to establish in some cases, such as the 
bi easts oi Hamburghs, though comparatively easy in others, such as abstracted vulture-hocks. 
The most cruel fraud practised is the sewing-up of, or insertion of needles or pins in combs, to hide 
defects, which we are sorry to say has been detected on several occasions. Other devices almost 
challenge admiration for their ingenuity ; and against the insertion of false sickles in particular the 
judge of Hamburghs and Bantams has especially to be on his guard, a good tail in these breeds 
being of special importance in competition. Such a tail as is shown in our plate of Silver-pencilled 
Hamburghs, for instance, would cause a bird to win almost anywhere if pretty good otherwise; and 
accordingly, more than one Hamburgh breeder, even when his best birds are dead, keeps their sickles 
“for use as required.” The old plan was to cut the faulty feathers down to about an inch long, 
and to affix the new ones with thread, or perhaps cobbler’s wax ; but such bungling as this would 
be laughed at now. The stump is cut down as before to a proper length, but the tube is cleaned 
out, the end of the “ show ” feather inserted, and fixed in with a strong transparent cement 
varnish, or otherwise, so as almost to defy detection. That it does in fact often escape punish- 
ment may be seen from the following, extracted from a racy address on poultry delivered to 
an agricultural meeting. We change names, and even initials, in order to prevent identification, 
and remove any objection to now republishing the painful details: — 
“A clever case of trimming was exposed at a poultry-show last winter. In this county 
there are two great rival poultry-keepers, more particularly rivals in Hamburgh breeding — 
Mr. X and Mr. Y. X generally takes the first rank, but last year Y almost invariably distanced 
his rival in Silver-pencilled Hamburghs. According to the ‘ Standard of Excellence,’ the sickle- 
feathers of the cock’s tail in this breed must be black, or very dark, with a fine edging of 
white, and in this particular the superiority of Y’s birds was conspicuous ; and at the show in 
question they were awarded the first prize. X has a poultry-man named Z, and Z was of 
course put out at his ill luck, and stood ruminating before Y’s prize pen. ‘ His birds are not 
so good as ours if it wasn’t for their sickles, but they’re stunning sickles, certainly. I can’t 
make it out how he manages to get them.’ Gaining the consent of the attendant, Z contrived to 
get hold of the bird with the wonderful sickles, and on blowing into the roots of the tail-feathers, 
lo ! the murder was out. ‘Well, I’m blow’d!’ said Z; ‘fetch Mr. H.’ Mr. H, who was the 
judge of the poultry at the show, was soon on the spot, when Z pointed out to him how the natural 
sickle-feathers of the bird had been cut down to the quill, and the beautiful artificial sickles neatly 
fitted into their place. Mr. H immediately cut off the borrowed plumes, and gibbeted Mr. Y by 
affixing a notice to the front of the pen. fully describing the fraudulent transaction.” 
Our opinions on this subject have long been known. Concerning such frauds as are never 
discovered nothing need be said ; but in every case of fraud actually detected, unflinching exposure 
is due to all honest exhibitors. We are sorry to have to add that most committees appear 
indifferent about the matter, and, in many cases where the judges have fearlessly done their duty 
by handing in their certificates of the imposture, have either neglected, or point-blank refused, to 
place the deserved and ignominious inscription of “ Disqualified for fraud ” upon the pen. Such 
moral cowardice trenches on the very verge of complicity , and we confess that 0111 gieatest fears 
for the future of the poultry-fancy lie in this marked unwillingness of the managers of many 
shows, and even of certain judges, to unite in sternly stamping out as much as can be discovered 
of this dishonest trickery. If a rule were generally adopted to disqualify at a show all the pens of 
any exhibitor found guilty of fraud, affixing to all such, and sternly maintaining from obliteration 
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