72 



ment equal to nature's true standard of perfection, let 

 us wait until some non-injurious food is discovered. 

 May the N. B. B. & M. C. never lack true- and 

 kind-hearted fanciers, who will think more of their 

 birds' health than they do of medals and mone}'. 



I must now bring nn^ paper to a close with the 

 hope that something will be done to influence judges to 

 give the prizes to birds in their natural state of 

 plumage, rather than to birds palpably colour-fed. If 

 only something is done, I shall consider my time has 

 been well spent in writing this paper. 



(Ton^ancuunitv. 



By J. Kershaw. 



* »^^^ ' HE word consanguinit}^ is of Latin origin, and 



(C^ is derived from co7i, with, and sanguis, blood, 



\^ and the meaning is, " the quality or state 



of being related b}^ blood ; nearness of kin ; 



descent from a common ancestor." 



Consanguinity is a most important element in 

 hybrid breeding — and to hybrid breeders this article 

 is addressed. I will try to explain to my readers 

 some of the steps which will bring them as near as 

 possible to the object of their ambition, nameh', a 

 clear mule. 



If you wish to start a strain for breeding light 

 mules, I counsel you to go to a breeder of singing 

 Canaries and see for yourself if he has an}' good- 

 sized birds of the Anglo-German cross — by preference 

 a cross between a Cinnamon Norwich and an ordinary 

 German songster. If he has what you want, obtain 

 from him two pairs. The next point is to see that 

 you pair them double j-ellow and double buff, as this 

 method of breeding is essential to produce fixit}' of 



