Q: The topline is the spinal column from the neck to the tailhead of an animal. Most of the topline is taken from the last two thirds of the animal, from the middle of the shoulders to the rump. The top line must be straight, with no spinal protrusions or bumps along it.  Roach-backed bulls are strongly selected against because this impedes a bull's ability to breed properly and to travel long distances without creating some sort of leg or spinal injury sometime in the future. It's not so bad in cows, but it can make them cull themselves in a matter of time. Sway-backed cattle are also selected against, as this can also hamper movement and ability to properly displace weight on the feet. Sway backs are typically attributed to backs that are too long in length, and results in weakness in structural support of the vertebrae, and also causes irregular-shaped loin muscles. Good loin muscle is correlated to high fertility, and bad or weak loin muscle is a sign of poor fertility. Good shoulder width in either cows or bulls indicates good capacity in the ribcage, where the heart and lungs are located.   In bulls. Generally, the wider the shoulders in bulls, the better. A bull should have shoulders that are 2 inches (5cm) or more wider than his rump. Wide shoulders indicate masculinity in bulls and is the highest indicator of reproductive efficiency. He is also able to sire sons, when mated to proper phenotypical (feminine) cows, that make great herd sires. His daughters will reach puberty early, breed back and wean a heavy calf. Wide shoulders usually means a larger scrotum, since masculinity in a bull is in the wide, deep shoulders and short neck with a rump similar in width to the front. Yearling bulls with good  shoulder widths correlates with uniform gestation periods, birth weights, better calving ease and more uniform weaning weights.   In cows. Shoulder width should not exceed the width of the rump by more than +/- half an inch (1.27cm). Too deep and wide a shoulder leads to reduced femininity and lack of good milk production. Too narrow or shallow, and the cow is a higher maintenance and even poses reproductive issues and increased risk of genital defects in herself and her daughters and sons. Shoulders in cattle should be of even length, and not go over the topline (which is typically called "coarse-shouldered"). Shoulders should also not be open nor extremely heavy (where they can exceed rump width by over 2 inches/5cm), as they are often indicators of calving difficulties. The heart girth is the area from behind the shoulders down to behind the elbows.  Good depth of heart girth in cattle is a sign of good forage convertibility and good feet and leg conformation. The heart girth is where the organs (heart, lungs, etc.) sit, enabling the animal to do and live as it does. The circumference of the heart girth should be equal to or greater than the top line. The closer in measurement the heart girth is in the animal, the more adaptable, vigorous and efficient the animal will be. Smaller heart girths are undesirable, because they can allow bad conformation in the front feet (feet toe out, for instance), they cannot do well in grass alone, and are an overall high maintenance animal.
A: The Topline. Shoulders. The Heart-girth.

Q: It seems self-explanatory, but the first piece of information you will need is the identification of the parties on the marriage certificate. It will be helpful, though not always necessary, to know the bride’s maiden name. You should be able to provide the date, month and year of the marriage, in order to pinpoint the certificate that you want copied. Most governmental records will be sorted by year, and then alphabetically. In some states within the U.S., licenses are not only arranged by state but by individual counties within the states as well. You will need to know the city or town where the wedding took place, in order to help locate the document you need. In some places, you will need to provide this information, although this is not always a requirement. You should be ready with an explanation, in case one is requested. In most places, you will be required to pay a small fee for a copy of a marriage certificate. The fee is to cover the costs of researching and locating the certificate in question and the copying charge. A credit card is usually the easiest and most accepted method of payment.  For example, in the state of New York, the fee for a copy of marriage certificate is $30.  In the U.K., a copy of a marriage certificate will cost £9.25.
A: Know the name of the bride and groom. Specify the date of the marriage. Provide the location of the wedding. Explain your relationship to the married couple and your reason for applying. Be prepared to pay a nominal fee.

Q: If you're hunting on a small body of water where it's not too windy, choose a duck call that isn't too loud, or you'll scare the ducks. A double-reeded wooden call is perfect for the job. On large bodies of water or when it's windy, you need a loud duck call. An acrylic call would be more appropriate. If you only have one call, vary your calls to compensate. Remember: accuracy is the most important thing. Watch the ducks for reactions to your calls. Calls are to be employed when you've spotted a group of ducks flying overhead and you want to attract them to land as close as possible to your position. Calls are most effective when they're used sparingly, and they must be done correctly if you hope to fool the ducks.  Watch the ducks for their reaction to your calls. If you see them flying over-head and change their direction to your position, don't keep skronking away at full-tilt and risk ruining your cover. Wait for them and see what they do. If you're calling more than once in 30 seconds, you're probably calling too much. If you're listening to Waylon on the portable radio super-loud, your whistles will make poor accompaniment. If you're hunting with decoys and the ducks are clearly attracted to them, don't risk ruining a good opportunity by blowing your lungs out. Ducks will often swoop around, dive, leave, come back and land several times before they decide to jump in front of your sights. Be consistent, avoid frustration, and wait. Listen to commercial CDs of duck calls. Listen and practice at home or in the car. Also spend time listening to real ducks in the wild. While you're calling, you should be actively listening to the sounds the real ducks are making so you can imitate them in response. Wooden duck calls especially will need drying out and wiping down after use, so the wood finish won't wear and crack.  Unscrew the reeds and check to make sure they haven't broken or chipped, which will affect the sound of your calls. If they have, replace them. Before you remove the reeds, use a felt-tip pen to mark how far down the reeds are screwed into the call so you can replace them at the same depth. Misaligning the reeds will result in a changed tone and make it difficult to reproduce your calls.
A:
Use the appropriate call for the occasion. Call sparingly. Eliminate other distracting sounds while you're hunting. Don't call if the ducks seem attracted to your decoys. Be patient. Practice. Clean and tune your duck call after using it.