  Scintillating fibers are widely used in particle detectors, mainly for
tracking. We have studied the properties and have compared the performance of
different blue-emitting 250~$\mu$m diameter round double-clad scintillating
fibers from Kuraray and Saint-Gobain. Here we focus on the properties of the
fibers over short lengths ($< 50~{\rm cm}$), in particular on their timing
performances. We report on the light yield and attenuation, scintillation light
decay time and the achievable time resolution.
