144 



CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



easy to define clearly in what tiiat 

 difference consists. 



All knowledge of this kind is eoni])ara- 

 tive, and if we say, of any one feature. 



that in the cock it is 

 Distinguishing |.,,,,^,, |.^ ^^ broader. 



Features. . ^ " 



or diiTers in some other 



respect from tlic eorrespondins feature in 

 the hen. we do not see how that conveys 

 any very definite idea, if the feattu'c, as 

 it exists in the hen, is not familiar to 

 the person we are endeavourino- to tcacii. 

 beyond emphasisino- the fact that difl'er- 

 ences do exist. When two closely similar 

 objects are placed before the eye, a com- 

 parison between relative ))ro])erties can 

 easily be instituted; but it is onl\- by 

 long acquaintance with each indixidual 

 object that the knowlcge of its i-uliiiy 

 featm'e can be so impressed on the mind 

 that one is able to recognise it at a 

 glance, without tlie necessity of having 

 tlie other object before us to enable us 

 to arri\'e at a conclusion by actual com- 

 |iaris(>ii. If we say of a, Canary that the 

 cock is more sprightly and vivacious than 

 the hen, we nuisl have a. correct idea of 

 the native sprigiit hness or vi\'acity of 

 each before we can recognise one oi' other 

 by this (|uality. 'riun, again. \ ivacious- 

 ncss (iilTei's to a m.irkcd decree in varie- 

 ties. Crests, to wit. do not dispias' the 

 sprightly movements of the more lightK" 

 feathered \ai-ietics, hut then the sex of 

 this variety is easily recognised by thi' 

 experienced breeder hy l^lie marked dilTcr- 

 enee in the texture of the feat her in each. 

 l''or this I'cason we feel Ihal the hcst 

 description we could gi\(' would necessarily 

 be obscure to the general reader in I he 

 absence of living specimens to illustr;ilc il. 

 ;md the breeder himscir will at lirsl. 

 pcrha|)s, fail to discover some of the more 

 sid)lle distinctions. If the brcedci' be a 

 close ol)scr\(r. liowe\cr. experience will 

 make even these Ml lie dilTci-cnccs easil\- 

 discernible to him. 



There will not be found niiirh (lilTcrcnee 

 in regard to the colour of the nest feathers 

 of the young birds of either sex in the 

 flight, though the cocks generally show 



better in this res|)eet. and especially the 



Wllows, where the l)righter shade of colour 



is more discernible than among 



Colour |^i,f. liuHs. The use of these 



Distinctions , , , , 



in Sex. t"'^* terms almost lands us 



in another digression, which, 

 however, we will avoid !)>■ a sim])le 

 general statement — viz. that with the 

 exception of one or two varieties of 

 Canaries in which the colour is certainly 

 not what even a novice would call yellow 

 or Caiiai'y colour, oi' anything like it, 

 every bird in the lliL;lit. whether clear in 

 colour OI- \ariegated with green or a shade 

 of green, will l)e found to be in its body- 

 coloui' wliat we will, for the sake of sim- 

 ])lieity. call either yellow or white: not 

 exactly. j)erha|)s. but sullieiently so to 

 meet our statement. IMie yellower 

 coloured birds are what are technically 

 known as " Vcllc)ws."' and the whitei' 

 ones as " BuiTs." Hut this whitish buif 

 colour is faintly shaded or tinged with a 

 lemon shade of yellow over the surface, 

 especially on the shoulders, cheeks, and 

 forehead, the general body colour being 

 of a whitish buff. Whereas those calK'd 

 " \'ellows '" have a distinctly richer shade 

 of yt-llow all over the body, though in 

 their nest leathers the yellow shade is by 

 far the richest on the butts of the wings 

 and head, hut at the same time the general 

 l)od\ is free from the whitish bull' shade 

 found on the Hull's, 'i'he Might and tail 

 feathers of both colours are a bullish 

 shade: it is the short body feathers that 

 j'oi'm the guide lo the colour of the bird, 

 though the outer fringe of the web of the 

 wing feathers is, as a rule, a shade richer 

 in the 'SCIIows than in the IJnlTs. 



The inex|)erieTiced person usually calls 

 these dillerent shades of colour " I'ieh 

 yellows "' and '" |>ale yellows " : the brci'der's 

 term is "yellow"" ;nid '"bull." .\nd wc 

 say. in resuming the thread of oiM' de- 

 scription, that though there is a dilTerence 

 in the colour of the sexes e\en in their 

 nest feathers, it is not so easily seen in 

 the l?ulTs or whit<r birds as ,-iniong the 

 ^'ello\^s. and is not al .■in\' time a good 

 criterion as to sex at this stage of their 



