BIRD NEWS 



ground. The distribution of the dark 

 pigment is not, Davenport says: 

 "wholly at haphazard. Green is 

 usually found in the lateral tail fea- 

 thers on the secondaries and wing 

 covets of one or both wings. 



The interpretation of the results 

 of breeding plumage color is not dif- 

 ficult and may easily be brought to 

 accord with Mendel's law. As Daven- 

 port already explains, yellow is 

 'green' which has lost its black pig- 

 ment, and concludes that there are 

 in canary plumage two distinct and 

 distinguishing factors — a black fac- 

 tor and a mottling factor. "Mottl- 

 ing is not a fixed pattern. The spots 

 vary in position and relative size, 

 they may cover nearly the whole 

 body, or they may form a mere "tick- 

 ing." The degree of mottling is in- 

 heritable. Mottling is a heterozygous 

 character and throws mottled, clear 

 yellows and self "green." These con- 

 clusions are very satisfactory, still 

 the breeder knows the yellow bird 

 is absolutely indispensable, he must 

 breed with yellows. Double buffing 

 may have its advocates, but sooner 

 or later, blood will tell. The yel- 

 low shows a shortage and with that 

 shortage feather qualities begin to 

 suffer. Even in cinnamons, the use 

 of yellow blood is essential to keep 

 up color and quality. A real good 

 bird is, after all, a "sport" and no 

 man can exactly predict what his 

 birds are going to throw, and such 

 being the case the scientific heredity 

 is at best, but a strong possibility, 

 not a positive factor and the fan- 

 cier while ever alert to obtain a pedi- 

 gree — a strain of types — must also be 

 prepared to breed at sight, ever re- 

 membering that selection at sight 

 from amongst pedigree birds is more 

 likely to obtain a reproduction of 

 points, that when such a bond of 

 kinship does not exist. 



AVIARY NOTES BV A NOVICE. 



(Member of the Avicultural Society 



of California.) 



I wonder if the different readers 

 of BIRD NEWS would not like to 

 hear of the experiences of an am- 

 ateur aviculturist? 



About three years ago "feeling 

 lonesome" for a canary, I visited a 

 lady who advertised birds for sale, 

 selected a singer that caught my 

 fancy, a dear little yellow and green, 

 top-knotted fellow with a wonderful 

 voice. Having paid the price I car- 

 ried him home in a brand-new gilt 

 cage. I gave him the best of care, 

 but not one note did he sing, and 

 soon be began to shed all his fea- 

 thers. At first 1 thought nothing of 

 that, as it was the moulting season, 

 but he continued to moult, and was 

 as puffed out as a chicadee in winter. 

 1 did not think much of my "singer" 

 so decided to buy another; this time 

 I got a cage bird ( the other was 

 raised in an aviary) and he proved 

 such a treasure that I wanted to buy 

 more. My next purchase was a yel- 

 low female. My subsequent success 

 in raising young birds made me feel 

 the need of larger quarters. My 

 husband suggested that he have an 

 aviary. We built a hexagon shaped 

 house with a high roof that served 

 for shelter at night, the rest of the 

 house was open. Later on we had 

 to protect three sides with canvas 

 on account of the wind. 



That season I raised a number of 

 young birds in the aviary, allowing 

 the females to build their nests in 

 small cigar boxes I had nailed u]) for 

 them. One young mother grew tired 

 of domestic duties and deserted her 

 offspring when they were less than 

 a week old, a homely, hoarse-voiced 

 old female adopted the babies and 

 was very happy in caring for them. 

 During the summer I bought a pair 

 each of parakeets, nuns, zebra finches 

 and .Javanese sparrows. I then 

 thought my aviary complete, but la- 



