The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

HIGH LEAPING. 81 stances that left nothing tobe desired as to genuineness, but it isopen to question at times if those who guaranteed them were competent judges ofa genuine performance. On one occasion the well-known editor ofa sporting paper in America, himself a noted athlete and arecognised authority, was taking notes ata Scottish gathering inAmerica, duringG. Davidson's tour there in 1879. The winnerof the high leap hadmade whatwas con­ sidered a good performance, and the sporting editor duly took notice of it, and drew Davidson's attention to the height. "Surely," said Davidson, 11 you know better than to give the winner credit for leaping that height just now ? " The sporting editor said that he did think it a genuine performance, and was considerably astonished, and not a little mortified, when David­ son clearly demonstrated to him that from the mode of measure­ ment and the nature of the ground,the leaper had been credited with at least two or three inches more than thegenuine value of hisleap. At some places acord with sand bags at each end is used for a crossbar, a most unsatisfactory arrangement, as if a leaper gets his feet over he may press the cord down two or three inches withthigh or buttocks, without knocking itoff the pegs, and, assoon as he is off it, the cord becomes level again. THE FAIR TEST.— While of opinion that high leapers as a rule get credit for considerably more than the genuine value of their leap, the writerthinks that the present system of deciding the high leap doesnot ensure eitherthat an athlete will get full value for his best leap, or that when two or more are pretty evenly matched, the onemaking thebest leap willwin. In the first place, by beginning from 6 to 12 inches below the winning height, the twoor three lefttill near the finish may be beginning to tire before the last height is reached. In the second place, it may happen that beforethe lastheight is reached a competitor may have cleared the bar by considerably more than what it is afterwards raised, andyet be unable to leap sohigh again, and be beaten by a lower leap at the finish. There is no reason why the high leap shouldnot be won by the competitor who cleared