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Otago Witness, Issue 2257, 3 June 1897, Page 34

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•. * I have received a copy of the prize schedule for the Dnnedin Record Reign dog show, to ba held in a marquee adjoining the Agricultural Hall on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, June 24, 25, and 26. The schedule is built on precisely the same lines as for last year's general show, excepting that there is an extra class allowed in the interests of owners of field spaniels other than black. Entries cloße on the 12th inst. Mr A. G. Clifford-Bratnah has been selected as judge. •." The statement of recaipts and expenditure of the Wellington Kennel Club for the year ending April 30 last shows a mostTieal thy state of affairs. During the year the club paid off £51- 16s ©f old liabilities in addition to some £250 o? current expenses, and atari; the new year not only quite clear of liabilities, bjit with £12 15s 7d in hand, besides a further asset in the shape of £3 subscriptions due. Our local club, I fear, cannot hopa for such satisfactory financing until they can find a way of reducing their rent account at show times. Whilst our Wellington friends manage to houie their ahow for *£11 53 sd, and we have to pay £50, it is not surpristhabwe cannot make s'milar headway. •. * The Scotchman has, says the Tuapeka Times, long been regarded as the very beat man with a sheepdog that can be seen anywhere. But from a recent trial, held not 100 miles away, it would seem that his superiority in this line has been challenged by a Chinaman, who is not generally understood to be "acquaint" with dog lore and the art of working sheep The winner —a man with a Scotch name—got 20 points, while the emigrant from ths Flowery Land halved with another Scotchman the second money. " Will you divide ?" asked the stewards, "or "run it off ? "—""—" AHee same. I j tink me tly again," replied the Celestial, and i his decision was greeted with loud applause. j Bub the stewards, with au eye on the sinking bun, and the knowledge in their hearts that another event had yet to be got off, overcame his nluck with tbeir advice, and the Chinaman put his share of the second money in his pocket with a sigh: "Me wish me had tlied again." • .• I understand that the Flowery Lander, j Chow Tie, mentioned in the foregoing paragraph is to be known in future aa " Donald M'Kiy." •. • Professor Holday in ah address delivered recently to the Central Veterinary Medical Association gave some interesting data in connection with his investigations as to the normal temperature of animals. He considers the normal temperature of the dog to be 101'4deg. •. • Those " Dahk" Dogs.—Mr and Mrs E. J. Tremlett, with their cargo of fox terriers, arrived safely at Capetown in the TanUllon Castle on January 25 after a quick passage. Fox terrier men at the Cape are, of course, exercising themselves as to what dogs this Anglo-Atrican fancier has brought out. They will, no doubt, make their debut at the ahow of the Transvaal Kennel Club. • . ■ A fortnight ago I gave the Stockkeeper's reply to the correspondent of Our Dog 3 relative to the "all-round judge" ques'-ion. I have now the pleasure of supplying Our Dogs' rejoinder:—" The incident of a contemporary

suggesting that there are only two gentlemen in. all England who could fill the bill of our Australian doggy friends — who are talking of importing a compebenb all-round dog judge — one of these being its own reporber-in-chief, has evoked a widespread feeling of mixed disapprobation and amusement in kennel circles on this side, as the correspondence on the subject in our columns testifies. There i 3 certainly humour in the fact of a journal, which poohpopbed the idea of a judges' competition in a defunct contemporary, now itself boldly deciding the kifttty poiot right off ! There may bo a little presumption, too, in this, but it is very kind of our contemporary to guide us in these matters, and we are cure it has earned the undying gratitude of — its two nominees. Onr contemporary, however, nob only publicly recommends one of its own staff as an all-round judge — before it was asked to — but goes ou!i of its way to offer an insulb to all other all-rouod juges, by declaring they could not hi found with a telescope ! AVhafcwill becomeof us if the 'only ' two competent all-round judges were to die — which we sincerely hope, for the Bake of the kennel •Community, they will not just yet— is too dreadful to contemplate. Our contemporary's recommendation might have been bebter received had it been a little more disinterested, which it is not, as it it is, of course, too palpable a puff for its reporter -in-chief. Then, again, the editor, in his endeavour to hit the one lias to charge the multitude in order to evade the law of libel, and m doing so, alas ! is compelled to knock down one of his own staff, who has our sincere sympathy. In this our contemporary rather stultifies itself, for its declaration means that a j gentleman who is regularly entrusted with the furnishing of reports to its columns, of all breeds, is such an incompetent all-round judge that he cannot be found with a telescope ! " Oar conternpor&vy's views, ho vover, do nob appear to be on all fours with those of show ! executives and exhibitors— which, we should say, are the most capable and impartial tribunal in this matter — as recent events show. At Bolton show, which was a record show for an average entry per class ; at Shffieeld abow, which was a big show, of rare quality ; and later at Durham show, held last week, and which broke the record for a one day show — at all these fixtures, held this year, all-round judges were cngnged, who cannot be found with a telescope ! The committees of tbese shows did find them, however, but perhaps by the aid of a | more powerful magnifying inssruraent than a ; telescope, may be the new Rootgen Rays ! Our contemporary, no doubt, will regard both committees and exhibitors at such shows as a set of noodlss. "The itinerant Jew, who will tell you in all seriousness that hts ' vatcb. 'tis better as new, 'twas vel tried,' may be pardoned for painting his tinsel jewellery in sue'at glowing colours, and the Cheap Jack excused for proclaiming from • his rostrum the merits of his gaudy merchandise ; even a mother's great admiration for her own child would scarcely bs regarded as vanity ; but when a judge is on the j tapis is ib not playing the game rather low clown for a journal to publicly recommend for the post one of its own staff ?" * JUDGING A COLLIE TRIAL. " What de ye think, Willie, the squatter and Robert are no coming to judge their dogs, and they've come to me at the lash minute to judge with Billy." "By Jove, that will be fine, father." " They're going to have a grand day for the trial, Willie ; so catch the horsed and we'll awa' doon." •' How is Don running cow, Willie ? " " Oh, not the best ; he comes on a bit rough, and he's very slsek at the yards." "The only thing then, Willie, is get them in the pen. What about Roy ?" " He's worse ; I can't get him under command at all, and I doa't think I'll ruu him." " Oh, you'll have to run him, and go for that barrel of beer." j "That just depends on Billy, father." " Leave Billy to me ; I'll fix him. Ah, ha, there's going to be a goad gathering here ro-day by the look of things, and I wonder has Billy arrived yet ? " " He'll hardly be here yet ; he has a long way ,to come." "See, there's- Billy there, father." i " Well, take my horse, Willie, and I'll go and I see him." " Good morning, Billy ; you'd a cold ride this morning. How's things over in the valley ? " | "Very dry, Bob." "Come on, you judges, we I want to get a start ; there's a big lot of entries, I and we don't want to be here a week." " What do you thiok, Bob, I forgot my specs this mom! ! ing." "Oh, ibdoesn'b matter much, Billy; onß pair will do the two of us, and it's only in the I long haul we'll need them, and I'll make the \ huntaways as short ss possible, so you'll see j something " "Put on your specs, Bob ; there goes Floss." I This dog cleared out and brought 'em in in floe style, ! "We can't give her any point?, Billy, till we tako her teeth out." Roy bolted and brought his "sheep back, and they were glad to get in the hurdles for shelter. " That's quick work, Billy ; give him 38A-." " What's the h*lf for, Bob, iE anybody asks me ? " "To show how closo we can judge a dog."' "Now," says Ned, " it's no use me showing my dog up here to-day ; and, besides, I'm in the know, and the wife wants the teapot." Nell, after several false starts, ran out, bufc was very cross with her sheep. " I like to see a dog taking short cuts, B'Sb ; it'll save a lot of time." " Now, Billy, this is Willies Don. That was a splendid head, wasn't it?" "I didn't see it ; foufc, oh, yes, I sacs a c him coming now. My word, lie has a splendid stylo, and. your son deserves great credit for the way he has brought this dog out. We can put him down 40." Crib failed to lead the blind. "Now, Billy, there's Toby and Stack. It'll just take us all oar time to keep them out of it, and we'll not ] take any points down except the dogs that are placed, and that will-aave a lot of trouble, and will give the three placed dogs a better show for the specials." Tom ran out in splendid style, headed, and brought back, and would have placad his sheep ha*n his boss kept out ot his way. "We can go home now, Willie." "By Jove ! we haven't done so bad for the firgt day — got about a fiver out of it, and we stand a good chance to scoop the pool." " Good morninp, Billy ; what sort of a night did you put in?" "Very good; but I heard a lot of dissatisfaction over our judging yesterday, and we want to be very careful to-day, Bob, because you know the trouble I got into the last year I judged at E h. That year I was nearly fired out the window by the shepherds.'-' Jack ran out well and got the distance and camped. Roy ran out, end might be running yet. Don disappointed his master and spoilt his chance for the trophies, much to the judges' annoyance. Tom ran out with a bark, but Billy thinks nothing of this, and so he awarded him the trophy for the best lungs. " Now for the huntawaye, Billy ; I've made this lot simple enough for these old dog? aboub here, and it'a the only chance to keep Nell out of it, as I believe she's perfect at her work." j Nell ran out. " She's not much, Billy." Sweep wouldn't face the gale. Help could see

this was no trial, and he wasn't going to run with them. Jack and his master appeared on the scene between them. They ought to have gob the cigars. Bob started out. " This ia a fair dog, Billy ; what a pity he's a cripplo." Floss ran our, well, but instead of slewing her sheep slewed her boss. Moss heeled them up fiae, but would sooner have had cattle. " This Scott feems a nice, steady-going sorb of a dog. That was a nice slew he made had ib been in the right place." "Fox appears very noisy, Billy ; I think he's entitled to the cigars, which he may enjoy " In concluding I must congratulate the stewards on tho selection of their judges, and I sincerely hope that these two gentlemen have the pleasure of judging again on some future occasion. Now that the Agricultural and Pastoral Society are going to take the sole management of all dog trials, who knows bub what these gentlemen, who have proved so faithful in the ! pasb, may again appear to judge the co' He. Sport. WELLINGTON KENNEL NOTES. May 28. Messrs Moorhouse and Hunter's bulldogs were released from quarantine on bhe 26th insb. I noticed the other day in Messrs Davis and Clater's shop window an oil painting of Champion Orrmkirk Amazement, by A. G. CliffordBramch, the canine specialist and judge. Ib is not only a faithful likeness of the dog, bub the scenery amid whioh he is placed is evidently the work of a lover of the grand auld hills of Scotland as well as an artist. You can fancy you can feel the cold Scotch mist and hear the bleat of the sheep as you look at the picture, it is so true to Nature. The painting is a present from the artist to the Maryborough D. and P. Association, and is a, special prize for the best collie under 12 months old at their forthcoming show. Messrs Harrison and Horrax have added another variety of co lie to their kennels, in the shape of an old English bobtail bitch pupp}', which they have . got from Australia. The puppy in question is only eight months old, bub has a wonderful coat of the correct Lard texture and beautiful pigeon blue and white colour. She has a good head, splendid legs and feet, and is altogether a real good specimen of the breed, though perhaps a triHe undersized at present. I should nob be surprised to see this breed j become fashionable now that leading fanciei'3 | are taking ib up, for they are singularly ; striking in appearance and fairly beam with intelligence and aflectiou. . I enclose you a cutting from the New ! Zealand Field of May 21 on judging. The article, to my mind, condenses the whole question so happily that I think you might like to reproduce ib for the beuefit of your readers who do nob see the local paper. Ido nob know who is the writer, bub ho voices my . ideas more perfectly than I could myself j express them. The following is the cutting :— "Now that the Wellington Kennol Club have decided on the gentleman to officiate at their forthcoming chow, ib may nob be oub of place to consider the qualifications necessary to make a good judge. It requires a peculiar organisation to make a' good judge in public. Some there are who cau ! do very well at home, where their self-posses- j sion is undisturbed, and where the mind has \ only to be exercised in one or two directions at the same time ; but take them into the show xiDg, where they must submit to the adverse criticism of exhibitors and combab the opinions of previous judges, and address their powers of comparison to 20 different objects in a given space of time, and they soon become losb and bamboozled and powerless to commaud the faculties they had at horns. This, I consider, is on account of a lack of brain power, their inability to think rapidly and to concentrate their thoughts at once. The rapid's ction of men, if they are really judges, is always the be^b, and probably there would be much fewer mistakes made if one judge were sent into the riug for each breed instead of one judge for 30 breads. The reason of this is because judgment is a defined quality and a defined quantity. Judgment knows the proper eiupa, the proper quality, and the proper worth of each animal — a. dczen judgments know no more. We can seldom gab three judgments exactly the same ; henca the jangling and wrangling and wrong decisions. One correct judgment is as good as a hundred correct judgments, because ths hundred can bring nothing more out than the one. There is nothing to discover about propriety of form, propriety of colour or size or quality. There is only one correct form, one proper siza #nd one proper quality for each distinct breed, and judgment at once sees which dog or dogs approximate nearest to theae. If an error is made in making out the earn of excellences due bo each animal, it is judgment dispossessed by excitement or deferred to fancy. A? to where we are to get this judgment, so desirable in the show ring — it must be gob from amongst the men of quick intellect, the men who, from pure love and taste, would irfttinctively pause and linger for an hour or more beside a piece of fine sculpture, simply beciuse their minds naturally tend in tho direction of symmetry and grace, and who from cb.oic.s alone have made all things of beauty and elegance a study aud a delight. A judge should be chosen from correct and data instead of from fancy and favouritism. The real judge cannot err, bub all judging at kennel club shows ought perhaps to take the hue of a profession." Canis.