Glossary of Terms

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It was found at some of the classes for training Judges in the Empress Evaluation Program, that judges in differ­ent parts of the country used different explanatory terms. Or, some of them used the same terms, but with a different meaning. It was also found that one of the things a new  judge had to learn, was those same terms. After the first few animals, the judge ran out of words. He kept saying the same things about every animal, over and over. From definitions in the dictionary; a study of articles in post issues of the magazine; conversations with experienced breeders and judges; and discussions at the above mentioned classes, the following Glossary of Terms should be used by judges with the approved defi­nitions.

This is one of the first steps toward more uniform  judg­ing. I hope before the next judging season to have a group of slides  illustrating most of these terms.

The following are descriptive terms that may be used by a judge or grader . . . 

Compiled by Howard Clements

OVERALL COLOR

Blue ‑ The standard says that excellent color of veiling shall be a clear blue or black. When a 
               furrier calls a fur blue, he means clear;  a sharp distinct shade of the desired color. 
               There is no blue pigment in standard chinchilla fur. What is wanted in the standard 
               chinchilla is black pigment with no red or yellow pigment. This, under certain light, 
               will give an illusion of blue. Veiling that is blue-black will tend to cause the bar to 
               be gray or blue‑gray where it blends into the edge of the bar. This will not cause the 
               bar to appear off‑color as is the case where black veiling that has a little red pigment
               (brownish tint) blends into the top edge of the bar.

Black  ‑ Sharp, clear  black veiling, but without the bluish cast referred to above. Perhaps just 
                  a hint of red or yellow pigment in the fur to give a slight drop in clarity, but  not the 
                  appearance of off‑color.

Bright ‑ Lustrous, sharp  color reflecting light.

Clear - The desired  color with no off color of any type.

Shaded ‑ Just a little  dull; not quite as sharp or brilliant as desired.

Muddy ‑ Dull, cloudy,  fur without luster or sheen.

Dull ‑ Lacks luster; old  fur; past prime; no sheen.

Washed Out ‑ Lack of  good veiling and/or a muddy bar kills the luster and the
                                beauty of the  fur.

Mousy ‑ Again, a dull  flat gray fur with no sheen or luster.

No Character ‑ Similar  to mousy and dull; not beautiful.

Cast or Casty ‑ Very  slightly offcolor; the next step below shaded; muddy or dull.

Off‑Color ‑ The fur has  some degree of red or yellow pigment either in the bar or veiling or 
                       both  Showing up as a brown or yellow tinge. Usually expressed as slightly 
                       off‑color  or badly off‑color.

Density

Density: Dense

The density of fur refers to the thickness of fur. Both the spacing  of the fur follicles and the number of strands of fur per follicle. The number  of fur follicles per unit area of skin is fixed at birth and cannot be changed  by diet or environment. The number of strands of fur per follicle can be changed  by diet, temperature, light or other environmental factors as well as the genetic inheritance of the animal. Density of the fur may be checked by LIGHTLY  blowing into the fur. A light puff of air on the shoulder or hip of the animal  should be enough to determine the density. If the animal is thinly furred on the  neck, it will also be thin on the shoulder. Most of them are more heavily furred on the rump so it is not necessary to check there. To repeat, it
is neither  necessary nor desirable to blow hard or to blow all over the animal; this will  only create a significant pattern disturbance. Simply blow just enough to  separate the fur in order to determine whether it is thick or not. It IS  necessary to blow on some of the animals, however. I know, some people say that  it is not necessary to blow into the fur to determine density. I also know some judges have made a fool of themselves by saying an animal was thinly furred, or  vice‑versa, when the opposite was true. So, it is not fair to the animal or the  owner to fail to blow lightly into the fur WHEN NECESSARY.

Very Dense ‑Close spacing of the follicles and many strands of fur in each follicle, making it 
                              difficult to see the skin on any part of the animal

Dense ‑ A good volume of fur with good resilience. In grading, we teach that the patch of skin 
                  you see when lightly puffing into the fur should  be no larger than a grain of wheat or
                  rice. Density should be checked in the area where the fur is the thinnest, usually on 
                  the neck, shoulder, hip or  sides.

Plushy ‑Indicating a great volume of far, this would be a combination of density, fur length 
                   and resilience.

Fur Strength ‑ Really a separate item but a judge may comment on it in relation to density.

Snap ‑Same as above, pertains more to resilience but may be a comment on density.

Open ‑ Very thin fur that lies open. Often used as "open hips."

Compact ‑Usually used to describe a short‑furred, dense animal.

Thin Fur ‑ Few strands of fur per follicle. The opposite of dense. Lack of sufficient fur to 
                        make a satisfactory pelt.

Fur Patterns

Fur Pattern ‑ The flow  of fur over the animal or pelt.

Silky ‑ The dictionary  says "lustrous smooth;" where it is used describing pattern, it should 
                mean a soft, smooth, even flow of fur.

Smooth ‑ An even flow of  fur with no disturbance.

Velvety ‑ An even flow  of fur that has the appearance of velvet. Uniform, even fur length.

Even ‑ The fur appears  to all be of the same length, prime, smooth, no disturbance.

Break In Pattern ‑ Slight break in the smooth flow of fur; small spot of fur missing; 
                                          anything that disturbs the smooth, even flow of fur.

Rippled ‑ Slight  ruffling of the surface; small waves on the fur.

Choppy ‑ Larger, uneven  ripples or short, uneven small waves.

Wavy ‑ The fur usually  waves from side to side rather than up and down.

Swirly ‑ Badly waved,  almost curled. 

Cowlick ‑A swirl or  twist in the fur making a complete circle.

Marcelled – Regular,  small, continuous waves.

Curly ‑ Small, tight  swirls.

Rough ‑ Fur badly  disturbed in any manner.

New Fur ‑ An unprime  condition with new fur coming in but not fully grown out.

Singed ‑ The fine tips  of the fur having the appearance of having been lightly burned with a 
                    hot iron.  Usually seen on old fur, but can be caused by a coarse, sharp dust bath or 
                    friction on a surface.

Priming Line ‑ A point  or line on the fur where new fur, coming in, is just reaching the 
                                 surface. Causing a slight wave or break in the smooth surface of the fur.

Split Grotzen ‑ The  grotzen is the darker streak of veiling down the back of the chinchilla. 
                                  Most animals with hair or fur on their back have this darker streak. A split 
                                  grotzen is a parting of the fur that runs down the backer the animal.

Chewed or Fur Chewed ‑ A  spot or area where the veiling and bar is chewed off so the 
                                                        underfur is visible. Woolly‑Matted fur, usually slightly curled, 
                                                        resembling wool.

 Cottony ‑ Similar to  woolly, matted without a definite flow pattern.

 Matted ‑ Fur forms a  tangled mass. Often caused because the old dead fur has not shed out 
                      and is  tangled with the new fur when it grows in.

Fur Balls ‑ Small matted  areas, often only an eighth inch or less in size.

Mottled ‑ Spotted or  blotched in color because of fur disturbance. The bar showing through 
                      the veiling in spots. 
 
Plymouth Rock ‑ A  mottled appearance in stripes across the back. As the appearance of the
                                      coloring on the feathers of a Plymouth Rock chicken. 

Salt and Pepper ‑ A  mottled appearance with very small spots.

Out of Prime ‑ The chinchilla is in process of growing a new coat of far. The new fur coming 
                                 in causes rough spots on the surface of the fur and detracts from the 
                                 appearance of  the animal.

 Not In Show Condition ‑ To be in show condition, a chinchilla should be as nearly prime 
                                                        and smooth as possible. Any of the descriptive terms used
                                                        under the descriptions of  fur pattern would cause the animal to 
                                                        be not in show condition.

Texture

Texture: Coarse

In theory texture means the fineness or coarseness of the fur. In practice it means the overall appearance of softness or fineness of the fur. Many of the same terms are used as in the description of pattern. Some confusion exists as for many years the term texture  originally meant what we now mean by both texture and pattern. Now texture is used to mean only the appearance of softness and pattern, the arrangement of the  fur.

 Silky ‑ Very fine  closely set hairs; smooth, soft appearance.

 Fine ‑ Very thin strands  of fur. Not quite as soft appearing as silky.

Coarse ‑ Opposite of  fine, the fur strands appear to be larger in diameter.

Past Prime ‑ The fur has  lost its luster. It appears dull and lacks the silk appearance of fine  
                             fur.

Singed, Woolly, Cottony ‑ Mean the same as applied to fur pattern.

Veiling Coverage

Veiling: Uniform

The veiling of a chinchilla is the darker tips on each strand of fur. The pattern of color formed by the distribution of the density of the veiling tips and the amount of this darker color is termed the veiling coverage or veiling pattern.

Dense ‑ Heavily veiled  or thickly covered with veiling.

Uniform ‑Evenly covered  with veiling.

Even Flow ‑ Same  meaning. Uniform coverage.

Washed Out ‑ Lack of  veiling; insufficient veiling coverage.

Open Hips ‑ Lack of  veiling over the hips.

Weak on Neck ‑ Lack of  veiling over the neck. Usually accompanied by lack of veiling on 
                                    the shoulders.

Wrap Around ‑ The way  the veiling pattern extends down the sides of the animal.

Grotzen ‑ The darker stripe down the back of the animal.

Fur Strength

Fur Strength: Strong

Snap ‑ To make a quick return to the former  position after the fur has been disturbed.

Resilience ‑ The ability  to return to the former position; rebound.

Plushy ‑ Fur with good  density and volume that has resilience.

Flat ‑ Lies flat on the  body.

Weak ‑ Usually too fine  fur that lacks strength and resiliency.

Crew Cut ‑ Fur that  stands up on the animal as opposed to fur that lies down.

Strong - Not extremely  fine fur, but fur with good resiliency and snap.

Bar Uniformity

Bar Uniformity: Blended

No Bar ‑ Bar is very gray and/or very  narrow to the point where it is not readily apparent.

Narrow Bar ‑ Bar that is  narrower than that specified in the standard.

Wide Bar ‑ Bar that is  wider than the standard, usually on the hips.

Muddy ‑ Bar that is  gray, dull, not distinct.

Gray ‑ Bar with enough  black or gray pigment that it is not bright and distinct.

Blended ‑ Not sharply  defined. Most young animals have a bar that is gray or blended as the 
                       first three coats of fur are not all of exactly the same length so the edges of the  
                       bar tend to blend with the veiling and underfur.

Mingled with Top Fur ‑ Badly blended so as to be almost invisible.

Fur Length and Volume

Fur Length and Volume: Too Long

Fur Length ‑ The  standard says "the fur should be approximately the same length over the 
                              neck,  back, rump, hips and sides. It should be between 3 /4 and 11/4 inches 
                              long." Short Fur‑Would be fur definitely shorter than specified by the 
                              standard.

 Crew Cut ‑ Fur that  grows perpendicularly to the skin.

Uneven Length ‑Could be  used to describe unprime fur with priming lines, or fur too short
                                      on the neck or  back, or too long on hips or rump.

Too Long ‑ Fur longer  than the standard, usually on hips or rump. Lies Open ‑ Very thin fur 
                         with no resilience; usually too long. 

Plushy ‑ Good volume with  good density and resilience.

Good Quality ‑ Quality  to a furrier means everything except color. Good quality would 
                                  mean good density, volume, resilience, texture, pattern, etc.

King Hair

King Hair: Glossy

Too Long ‑ The king hair should stand 1/8 to 1/4 inch above the fur; it should not be so long 
                         as to make the animal appear shaggy. However, the king hair on the pelt usually 
                         does not stand up, it lies  down, so what appears to be long king hair on the live 
                         animal may not detract  from the pelt.

 Not Enough ‑ There  should be enough king hair to be readily apparent all over the  animal.

Too Much ‑ I have heard  judges comment on too much king hair, but I question if there 
                           could be too much. I think they probably meant too long. 

Coarse ‑ The king hair  normally is much coarser than the fur. I don't know what the 
                    diameter of the hair is supposed to be or how you would determine if it were 
                    too coarse.

Glossy ‑ Lustrous,  shiny.

Size

The size of area of the pelt is very important, as a large pelt will bring much more than a small pelt. In judging the animal the estimated of the pelt should be kept in mind. A fat animal will not always have a larger pelt  than one that is not fat.

The average adult chinchilla will weigh approximately 16‑20 ounces and produce a pelt approximately 3‑1/2 ‑ 4‑1/2 inches wide and 12‑15 inches  long. The terms extra large, large, medium, average and small are self‑explanatory.

Long Body ‑ A Lanigera  or large Costina type animal.

Baby ‑ Not full grown, an explanation of size.

Conformation

Conformation: Blocky

Costina ‑ A small  chinchilla supposedly originally from lower altitudes of Chile with a longer 
                      body, narrow shoulders, a dip in the neck and short fur.

Lanigera ‑ A larger  animal, average size, said to come from higher altitudes of Chile and 
                        Peru.

Brevicaudata ‑ (Spanish  for short tail) A large blocky chinchilla with longer fur and very 
                                   small ears. Almost all of our present chinchillas are crosses of these various 
                                   types. The type usually preferred by the judges is a large  Lanigera type 
                                   with Brevicaudata conformation.

Round Body ‑ Animal that  appears almost round when viewed from above.

Oval ‑ A little longer  body; oval when viewed from above.

Long ‑ Body longer and  narrower than the oval body.

Narrow ‑ A long narrow  body, wider on the hips than through the shoulders.

Compact Body ‑ Round or  oval, short and blocky.

 Blocky ‑ A short, round  body‑wide through the neck and shoulders.

Neck

Neck: Dip in the neck

The neck is important as that is the weakest point on most of our pelts. Usually the fur is thinner, may be shorter and lacks veiling on the neck.

Full Neck ‑ A chinchilla  with a full neck, when viewed from the side would appear to have 
                          almost a  straight line along the top of the fur from the head over the neck to 
                          the  back.

 Roached ‑ The fur  extending higher on the neck than on the head and shoulders.

 Medium Full ‑ The fur in  the neck area dipping very slightly.

Dip in the Neck ‑ The  fur shorter in the neck area than on the body so there appears to be 
                                       a pronounced dip in that area when viewed from the side.

Bull Neck ‑ A large  full‑furred neck with a roach so the fur extends above the head and body
                         of the animal.

Short Neck ‑ Self‑explanatory; a short, round blocky animal.

empress chinchilla‑‑July, 1973