The Modern Pony.
The Shetland pony, as now produced on the British mainland, is chiefly
derived from the stud established by the Marquis of Londonderry in the
Islands of Bressay and Noss in 1870,[45] and carried on by him there
under the management of Mr Robert Brydon and the late Mr Meiklejohn
until its dispersal in 1899. It was in this stud that the standard was
set by which showyard judging has proceeded during the last twenty
years; and it was here also that the type of the modern pony was
created and fixed by selection and close inbreeding.
The stud was originally intended for the purpose of breeding pit-ponies
for its owner’s collieries in Northumberland; and this purpose is
reflected in the type which is characteristic of the “Londonderry”
pony. It is commonly said that the governing formula of the stud was
“as much weight as possible, and as near the ground as it can be got”;
and, so far as it goes, this formula—admirably adapted as it is for
defining a pit-pony—is no bad description of the result attained in
many instances. While the original object of the stud was never lost
sight of in its policy and management, it was carried out by skilful
and enthusiastic breeders, who set themselves to eliminate defects of
conformation which were common among the Island ponies. The consequence
was a degree of breed improvement which is perhaps without a parallel
as the result of less than thirty years of breeding and management.
But not only is the source of improvement in the modern pony to be
found chiefly in this one stud. It is also traceable—as in so many
other breeds—mainly to a single animal.
If it be true that the modern pony is substantially the “Londonderry”
pony, it is hardly less true that the “Londonderry” pony is the pony
that is bred from the horse Jack (16), foaled in 1871, which came into
Lord Londonderry’s possession as a colt, and was the sire or grandsire
of almost all the stallions used in the stud, as well as of a third of
all the mares that are recorded as belonging to it.
Some idea of the extraordinary predominance of Jack in the stud may be
gathered from the entries in the first nine volumes of the ‘Shetland
Pony Stud-Book,’ in whose tenth volume the dispersal sale of the stud
at Seaham Harbour is recorded. We find that in the period covered by
these entries, nineteen stud horses were used to a greater or less
extent. Of these, in addition to Jack himself, there were his three
sons, Laird of Noss (20), Lord of the Isles (26), and Odin (32); and
his eight grandsons, Thor (83), Sigurd (103), Emeer (131), Runolf
(62), Najal (75), Lava (121), and Otkell; while Oman (33), his
great-grandson on the dam’s side, was also considerably used. We find
also that these ponies related to Jack were much more extensively bred
from than the unrelated sires, so that of the four hundred and ninety
foals entered as produce, two hundred and forty-eight are by Jack and
his three sons, and a hundred and sixty by his eight grandsons; while
thirty-six are by Oman, and only forty-six by sires wholly unrelated to
Jack.
[Illustration: JACK (16).]
An analysis of the list of dams bred from in the stud accentuates
the meaning of these figures; since out of a total of a hundred and
twenty-five entered in the Stud-Book, seventy-six are by Jack and his
three sons, while ten are by his grandsons.
The result of this selection of breeding stock appears in the extent to
which the progeny are inbred to Jack. Of the hundred and twenty-five
mares, fifty are sired by Jack, his sons, and grandsons, out of dams
similarly sired; while forty are sired by Jack and his three sons,
out of mares sired by them. Of the four hundred and ninety foals
entered, two hundred and eighty-two are sired by Jack and his sons and
grandsons, out of mares by the same list of sires.
Of the fifty-one mares not bred from Jack and his direct descendants,
twelve were daughters of Prince of Thule (36), and thirty-six by his
son Oman.
Prince of Thule is thus, next to Jack and his sons, the most important
sire element in the stud. His influence, however, is considerably
reduced by the almost exclusive extent to which he was mated with
mares sired by Jack and his sons. Of the twelve mares sired by him,
seven are from daughters of Jack, one from a daughter of Odin, and one
from a daughter of Laird of Noss; while twenty-four of the dams of his
thirty-four foals are daughters of Jack and his three sons.
The influence of his son Oman is similarly discounted, five of his six
daughters bred from being daughters of Jack’s sons, while twenty-eight
of all his thirty-six foals have dams similarly bred.
It is probable that the results of an out-cross of this kind upon an
inbred stock like that created by the continuous use of Jack and his
sons will be slight and transient; and in point of fact the general
influence of Prince of Thule upon the Londonderry Stud has not been
greater than might have been expected.
The singular predominance of the Jack race in the modern pony is
illustrated by the showyard results of recent years.
At twelve shows of the Highland and Agricultural Society held since
the Londonderry Stud was broken up in 1899, a hundred and sixteen
first and second prizes have been awarded in Shetland pony classes.
Of these, a hundred and fourteen have been gained by the progeny of
sires actually in use in the Londonderry Stud: Laird of Noss, Lord
of the Isles, Odin, Oman, and Thor; and of their sons and grandsons.
Laird of Noss, his sons Harold (117), Duncan (147), and Hector (183),
and his grandson Merry Hero (244), sired fifteen; Lord of the Isles,
his sons Multum in Parvo (28), Sigurd (103), Vespa (166), and Naughty
(204), and his grandson Rattler (210), twenty-one; Odin, his sons Olaf
(59), Bonaparte (168), Uniacke (177), Palmer (228), Besieger (235),
Diamond (257), and Peace (325), and his grandsons Monkshood (274) and
Norman (276), twenty-eight; Oman, his sons Frederick (223) and Seaweed
(333), and his grandson Glencairn (314), twenty-five; while Thor was
himself sire of twenty-five; and it is noteworthy that the winner of
the two distinctions not gained by the offspring of Londonderry sires
was bred from a dam inbred to Jack’s grandson Multum in Parvo. Taken
as a whole, this practically exclusive domination of the showyard, for
twelve years, by twenty-six sires of Londonderry origin, of which three
are sons and fifteen are grandsons of Jack, while the remaining eight
are descended from him, and all of them without exception are otherwise
closely related to his stock, is a remarkable demonstration of the
influence of a single stud and a single horse upon the breed as we
have it to-day.
[Illustration: ODIN (32.)]
Of Jack’s parentage nothing is known. It is probable, however, that
he was himself an inbred animal; for close inbreeding is still, and
always has been, the general practice among pony breeders in Shetland,
probably rather through necessity or carelessness than as the result of
deliberate intention; and Jack’s prepotency as a sire lends colour to
this supposition.
He was a black, 40 inches high, and the only portrait of him which
we possess shows him to have been a short-backed and close-coupled
horse of remarkable bone and substance, finely proportioned, and with
a bold and upright carriage. He must have had a sound and vigorous
constitution, since he lived to the age of thirty, and was at stud to
the end of his life.
His most famous son, Odin, also a black horse, was 38 inches high.
Odin’s dam, Nugget, was sired by Tom Thumb (44), whose height is stated
as 34 inches, and who was brought back from work in the pits in 1879
with the view of producing ponies of small size.
Odin was a horse of immense power and robustness, and great
masculinity of appearance. His bone and weight were his most salient
characteristics; but he was a vigorous and active mover, with strong
hock action, though not perfectly straight in his going. He was
disfigured by a head heavy even out of proportion to his general bulk
and weight. He was probably the most successful sire among Jack’s sons,
his male descendants being conspicuously better than the females.
Laird of Noss, also a son of Jack, was a black pony, 38 inches high,
with some white marks on his near side. He was a pony of somewhat
lighter build and more upstanding carriage than Odin, with a finer head
and less bone. He is best known as the sire of the famous horse Harold,
of Duncan, and of Hector; and it is through them that his strain is
perpetuated.
Jack’s other son, among the Londonderry sires, was Lord of the Isles,
a pony which, like his brothers, was black, but was two inches smaller
than they, his height being given as 36 inches. He was a thick and
compact pony, less used in the stud than Odin, who appears to have been
most approved by the stud management, as only sixty-three foals by
Lord of the Isles are recorded against a hundred and nineteen by Odin.
Lord of the Isles is chiefly interesting as the first instance of the
introduction into the blood of the Londonderry sires of the cross of
Prince of Thule, which has already been referred to. His dam Handy was
a daughter of Prince of Thule; and it may perhaps have been from this
source that his reduced size came, for Prince of Thule was himself only
36 inches high. It is significant, too, that Multum in Parvo, a brown
horse 37 inches high, sired by Lord of the Isles out of his own dam
Dandy, is described by those who knew Prince of Thule well as being
exceedingly like him.
[Illustration: MULTUM IN PARVO (28.)]
Multum in Parvo is probably the best-known son of Lord of the Isles,
whose blood is otherwise mainly transmitted through the descendants
of his daughters. He died in 1912 at the age of twenty-eight, having
been foaled in 1884. His crest had latterly fallen over; but he still
retained a singular air of distinction and a picturesque quality hardly
to be discerned in many of the more massive ponies. He must always
have lacked power and weight and strength of action; but his look of
breeding, his quality, and the magnificent abundance and straightness
of his curtain-like mane and forelock, attested an element in his
breeding which should not be lost sight of.
This estimate of Lord of the Isles as a sire is borne out by the
conspicuous qualities of his daughter Boadicea (998). This beautiful
black mare, 36 inches high, is no doubt somewhat deficient in bone. But
she stands almost by herself among Shetland ponies as an example,
approaching closely to perfection, of what a riding-pony ought to be,
with a small and exquisitely shaped head carried high on a clean-cut
and well-arched neck, shoulders that would not disgrace a good
thoroughbred, fine withers and short strong back, and the safe and easy
action that properly belongs to an animal of her type.
Lord of the Isles’ name appears in the pedigrees of a large proportion
of the best Shetland ponies, especially through his famous daughter
Beauty (167); but apart from every other claim that he may have, and in
spite of his perhaps too limited use in the Londonderry Stud, the fact
that he is the sire of Multum in Parvo and of Boadicea entitles him to
rank as a stallion of the first importance.
With these sons of Jack used in the Londonderry Stud must be mentioned
his grandson Thor, now the sole survivor of the original Londonderry
stallions. He is a son of Odin out of Fra (185), and is a brown horse
38 inches high. Like Lord of the Isles, he is related on his dam’s
side to Prince of Thule, her sire; and he represents, therefore, almost
the same combination of strains as Lord of the Isles. At twenty-seven
years old he retains in a remarkable degree the vigour and vitality
of youth. Slightly grey now over the cheekbones, and fallen a little
in his spine, he still holds his crest erect, and moves with freedom,
speed, and gaiety. He is perhaps a little larger in head than is
desirable; but he is a pony of great substance and power, with
abundance of well-shaped bone; and he displays very pure Shetland
character. He was freely used in the Londonderry Stud, fifty-six of his
foals being entered in the Stud-Book—a larger number than is credited
to any other stallion except the sons of Jack.
[Illustration: THOR (83.)]
He has hitherto excelled as a sire of mares rather than of
stallions—Beatrice (1533), Bracelet (1604), Perfection (1489), and
Stella (1496) being among the most famous of his daughters. For about
six years after the Londonderry Stud was broken up he appears to
have been comparatively little bred from; but during the last six
seasons he has been more largely used.
A still greater degree of the Prince of Thule cross was introduced in
Oman, a dark-brown horse 34 inches high. Oman was a son of Prince of
Thule; and his dam Norna was a daughter of Lord of the Isles, himself,
it will be remembered, a son of a Prince of Thule mare. Oman was a
compact and massive pony, showing great quality and good action. Among
his best-known sons have been Frederick (223) and Seaweed (333); while
he was the sire of such mares as Belle of Bressay (1192), Sea Serpent
(1535), Silver Queen (1197), and Harriet (1194).
Prince of Thule represents the one considerable element in the
Londonderry Stud which was unconnected with Jack, and tended perhaps to
counteract his influence. He is described by those who knew him as a
pony of exquisite quality, with a small thoroughbred head, prominent
wide-set reddish hazel eyes, and an exceedingly fine muzzle. He was
short-backed, with strong quarters, somewhat inclined to droop, but
finished with a well-carried tail; and he was somewhat cow-hocked. He
had big wide feet; and his bone was strong, with large joints. His
rein was long and his withers high, though his shoulders were somewhat
straight; he was a conspicuously close mover. In colour he was a seal
brown, with very bright tan muzzle and flanks; and his mane hung to his
knees and his forelock below his nose.
Another sire which had a much less important place in the stud was
Lion, a dun pony 36 inches high, bred by Mr Bruce of Sumburgh. He is
described as a well-coupled pony, but rather long and low.
It will be recognised that Prince of Thule is the source, and probably
the only immediate source among the Londonderry sires, of whatever may
be found in the modern pony to represent that “oriental” type which
it has already been said has all along been an integral element in
the Island pony. The Jack blood is mainly, if not indeed exclusively,
that of the Scandinavian type as opposed to the other type, which is
depicted on the Bressay stone, and which is represented in modern times
by Multum in Parvo and Boadicea. In Prince of Thule, and whatever
impression he may have made on the pony of to-day, is to be found
the main source, within the Londonderry strain, to which those must
turn who desire to produce the riding as distinct from the draught
or pit-pony. It has already been said that his influence is largely
counteracted by the extent to which he and his son Oman were mated
with mares by Jack and his sons. But his stock remain the best hope
of breeding ponies which should combine the many excellences of the
typical “Londonderry” pony with the quality and activity in which it is
apt to be somewhat lacking. It is worthy of note that the combination
of Prince of Thule and Odin blood has always produced a large
proportion of good foals.
When we come to examine the female lines in the Londonderry Stud, we
find, as has already been noted, that they are largely the produce
of the sires which we have just reviewed; and we find also that a
great proportion of the best animals produced trace from a few of the
original mares. No complete analysis in this respect can be attempted;
but it will be found that four mares bulk largely in the formation of
the stud.
I. Darling (174), by Jack (16), was the dam of Darling II. (175), by
Laird of Noss, of Dixie (664), by Odin, and of Beauty (167), by Lord
of the Isles—Beauty being the dam of Besieger (235) and Bretta (811),
both by Odin; while Bretta became the dam of Beatrice and Bracelet by
Thor, and of Belle of Bressay (1192) by Oman.
II. Fra (185), by Prince of Thule, was the dam of Thor by Odin, of
Harold by Laird of Noss, of Frederick by Oman, and of Hildigunna (668)
by Lord of the Isles.
[Illustration: PRINCE OF THULE (36.)]
III. Peggy, by Jack, was the dam of Pride (202) and Princess (203),
both by Prince of Thule—Pride being the dam of Petite (1196) by Odin,
and Princess being the dam of Pansy (1282) by Oman, and of Perfection
(1489) by Thor.
IV. Swertha (211), by Odin, was the dam of Silver Queen (1197) by
Oman, and of Sigurd (103) and Sweetie (676), both by Lord of the
Isles—Sweetie being the dam of Strawberry (1635) and Sapphire (1276),
both by Odin, and of Snowdon (1112) by Thor.
These are the leading mares of the stud. It will be observed that two
of them are daughters of Jack, one of his son Odin, and one of Prince
of Thule; while two of their dams are daughters of Jack, one of his
son Lord of the Isles, and one of Prince of Thule.
The development of the Shetland pony in the studs of present-day
breeders has been greatly advanced by the ‘Shetland Pony Stud-Book,’
which was first issued in 1890, and which has since been published
annually with increasing usefulness and success. The twenty-three
volumes which have now appeared form a record invaluable to breeders.
Dissatisfaction on the part of certain breeders in Shetland, who found
out too late the ill effect of neglecting to enter their ponies (a
dissatisfaction stimulated perhaps by interested persons), has recently
led to the formation of a ‘Shetland Island Pony Stud-Book,’ registering
only ponies bred in the Shetland Islands. This book, however, is of
very secondary interest and importance, and its restricted scope
naturally prevents it from becoming a complete Stud-Book of the breed.
Multiplication of Stud-Books is evidently disadvantageous to a breed;
and it is to be hoped that the Stud-Book proper may soon become once
more the combined record of all pedigreed ponies in Shetland as well as
in other parts of Britain.
Useful Stud-Books of the breed are published in the United States of
America and in Canada.
The pony as we find it in the showyards of Britain and in the studs of
the principal breeders exhibits, in the main, the characteristics of
the Londonderry strain.
Its size remains, as it always has been, its most marked
characteristic. No ponies over 42 inches in height are admitted to the
Stud-Book; and a height of more than 40 inches is properly regarded
as a serious fault. This, indeed, is a matter of vital importance,
since any considerable increase of size deprives the pony of its
individuality and brings it into comparison with other breeds. On the
other hand, there has, in recent years, been a tendency to undue
diminution of size—the former desire of breeders to increase height
having given place to a morbid ambition to produce pigmy ponies. It
must be kept in mind that ponies of sizes less than 34 inches are
of little use for practical purposes, since, unless they are quite
disproportionately massive, they cannot have sufficient weight and
strength for draught, while the undue shortening of their legs deprives
them of the leverage and activity necessary for saddle or harness. It
must also be remembered that the cannon-bone cannot be shortened beyond
a certain point, and that any exaggerated shortness of the fore-leg is
therefore only to be obtained by a disproportionate reduction of length
of arm, fatal to symmetry and productive of cripples. Anything which
tends to make the pony merely an oddity and a toy, and to take it out
of the category of useful or usable horses, is fatal to the prospects
of the breed and should be resisted by breeders and judges.
[Illustration: SAPPHIRE (1276.)]
Speaking generally, about 38 inches is the height which will be found,
while retaining the individual character of the breed, to lend itself
best to symmetry and activity. There are, no doubt, excellent ponies
both larger and smaller; but a study of the recorded measurements of
the best animals will uphold the view that this is the height at which,
speaking generally, the pony can be produced at its best.
The most salient and essential feature of the Shetland pony, next to
its size, is its general air of hardihood and vitality. Stamina and
robustness—capacity to endure both work and hardship—are among its most
essential merits; and they should appear in its demeanour, displayed in
spirit, boldness, and a high though docile and generous temper. Ponies
which show feebleness of appearance or constitution should be rigidly
excluded from the stud and the show-ring, and soundness should be made
essential.
The Shetland pony is one of the soundest of horses—bone defects being
almost unknown in it; and a vigilant watch should be maintained against
anything that might impair its character in this respect. But second
only in importance to physical soundness is the temper and disposition
of the pony; and sluggishness and a lethargic mien should be counted as
serious faults.
The general symmetry of all good horses is very much the same; and
the Shetland pony is no exception. But, in particular, he should be
deep through the heart, short and strong in back, well ribbed up, and
well sprung in barrel. The shoulders should be long and well sloped,
showing sharp and distinct withers. The quarters should be broad and
long, and well filled up, with the tail set high and carried gaily. The
neck should be long, well arched, and powerful, fine at the gullet, and
carrying the head high and well forward.
Perhaps in no point is the present-day Shetland pony so often defective
as in shoulder. Many of the most substantial and characteristic ponies
of the “Londonderry” strain are short and straight in shoulder and
wholly lacking in withers. Such ponies as these may be useful in the
coal-pits, but they are useless above ground. They can never be really
fine and active movers; and they can never be—what the Shetland pony
ought to be—the child’s riding-pony. Shoulders and withers that will
hold a saddle should be regarded as a _sine quâ non_ of a really good
pony. In this respect much yet remains to be done in the improvement of
the breed. In other directions great advance has been made; and long
backs, flat sides, and short and drooping quarters are less in evidence
every year. The general style and symmetry of the pony are steadily
improving.
Nothing in the proportions of a pony more affects his appearance than
the size, form, and carriage of his head. Undoubtedly many of the most
massive and powerful of present-day Shetland ponies are disfigured
by heads which are not merely out of proportion to their size, but
which are also carried much too low. This last defect commonly arises
from; and goes with, defective shoulders; but, from whatever cause it
proceeds, it must be regarded as a most serious blemish, fatal alike
to the appearance of the pony and to his safety and pleasantness as a
mount. To eliminate it from the breed without sacrificing the substance
and power with which it is often associated may be a matter of skill,
time, and patience; but breeders ought not to be satisfied until this
object has been attained.
The head itself should be small and short, wide across the forehead,
relatively long from ear to eye, with a muzzle short and fine and
somewhat hollowed, or almost “dished,” immediately below the eyes,
which should be large, full, and prominent, looking well forward, so
as to be clearly seen from in front. “Ringle” or “wall” eyes are a
serious though not a common defect and should be discouraged. The ears
should be small and erect, wide set, but pointing well forward, the
nostrils wide and open. The shape and carriage of the head are even
more important than its size.
[Illustration: BOADICEA (998.)]
It is perhaps in limbs and joints that the modern pony marks the
largest advance upon his unimproved Island forefathers. Reference has
already been made to the apparent “curbiness” of the hocks of many
Island ponies. This is a defect that has very largely been bred out
of the Londonderry strain, in which good joints, and particularly
good hocks, have, with occasional exceptions no doubt, become well
established. Strong and muscular limbs should characterise the Shetland
pony—long and powerful forearms and thighs, large, low-set knees and
hocks, flat and clean bone below them, and fairly long pasterns. A
common fault in some strains is lack of muscle in the second thighs,
which is often so exaggerated that the pony has the appearance of
having a deep hollow behind the thigh instead of an easy line from the
quarters to the hocks.
On the whole, the feet of the Shetland pony are good—large, round, and
open, of fairly hard and very sound texture. Occasionally, however,
narrow and contracted feet are found; and these should be regarded as a
serious defect.
The coat of the pony is one of its most familiar and characteristic
peculiarities, consisting as it does of fine thick fur below and an
outer covering of longer and harder hair growing through it. Any
weakness of coat is a serious fault, not only as being a departure
from a deep-rooted characteristic of the breed, but also on the most
practical grounds. No better protection could be imagined against wind
and rain than the thick undercoat, waterproofed by the outer hair,
from whose damped locks the water drips along the pony’s sides, while
the under parts of the body remain dry and warm. In summer the shaggy
coat,—falling off in ragged masses, is replaced by a sleek and fine
hair. At all seasons the tail, mane, and forelock are as picturesque
as they are useful in protecting the pony against weather and flies.
They should be abundant, the hair strong in texture, and straight,
falling flat, and, like the foot hair, free from any tendency to curl.
It is an interesting characteristic of the Shetland pony that many
animals shed in autumn the upper lock of the tail in such a way as
to look as though the hair had been scrubbed off, although on actual
examination it will be found that the hair is cast from the root and
grows in again. A similar appearance is undoubtedly represented in
prehistoric horse-portraits.
All colours are permissible in the Shetland pony, although black and
dark-brown are now most common, and are preferred in the Islands by
the oldest traditions, which associate piebald and skewbald colours
with softness of temper and with a strong suspicion of Norwegian
cross. White markings in ponies other than piebalds and skewbalds are
an undeniable blemish, particularly if they take the form of white
stockings and the accompanying white hoofs. Dun, grey roan, and dappled
grey are good colours, which should not be allowed to die out: the
dappled grey should have blue hoofs.
Action is increasingly regarded, and rightly so, by judges in the
showyard; and it is of the utmost importance in practice. It should, of
course, be perfectly true and straight: dishing, straddling, and wide
hock action are glaring faults. But action should also be vigorous,
light, and springy, not showing the roundness that often disfigures
hackney gait, but with fore-legs well thrown forward from the shoulder
both in walking and trotting, while knees, pasterns, and hocks are
freely and powerfully flexed. It must be admitted that in many Shetland
ponies activity has been unduly sacrificed to abnormal shortness of
limb. This is a point which demands careful attention; and it may be
worth while to note that the ponies in the Islands are, as a rule,
singularly active, as indeed the conditions of their existence
require that they should be.
[Illustration: STELLA (1692.)]
In one other respect modern show standards and conditions threaten
rather to impair than to improve the breed. The appearance of the pony
in the Islands almost invariably suggests a strong and vigorous frame:
in the showyard there are few ponies whose appearance suggests any
frame at all. This is, no doubt, greatly aggravated by the extreme and
excessive fatness of most ponies in the ring; but it points to a real
defect also. Every good horse ought to suggest to the imagination the
general structure of his bony framework; and it ought scarcely to be
possible to conceal this by any reasonable degree of condition, or to
bring about, in a horse, a general appearance of bonelessness such as
might be proper to the carcase of a perfectly fattened Aberdeen-Angus
bullock. Partly from the practice of showing ponies much too fat,
and partly also from the fact that breeders have neglected to seek
for strength of frame as distinct from mere thickness of bones, the
Shetland pony in the showyard has undergone some little deterioration
in this respect. It should not be forgotten by breeders or judges that
a pony whose shoulders, hips, and stifles are not prominent in his
appearance, is either defective in structure or very improperly overfed.
It may well be the case that a rather too exclusive use of the
excellent “Londonderry” strain of ponies requires now to be corrected
by a careful introduction of new blood, and that it is desirable to
make use for that purpose of active, large-framed, vigorous mares of
other Island strains. It cannot be too strongly emphasised that no risk
should be run of sacrificing the results already attained—the power
substance and well-formed joints and limbs, in which the “Londonderry”
ponies excel. On the other hand, there is room, in very important
respects, for progress and improvement in order to bring the Shetland
pony to perfection.