214 



CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



surface in classes for clear birds, where it 

 is desired to do so ; the wording- of a 

 schedule to that cfTect at tlie head of an\' 

 such class would make that perfectly clear. 

 This question as to what is a " ticked " 

 bird and what is not has been a vexed one 

 for a lonp- time. IT we adhere to the true 

 meaning of the word " tick." then one small 

 mark is the most consistent definition, and 

 had our esteemed friend JMr. W. A. Blakston 

 been with us to-day, we are sure this 

 interpretation would have had his strongest 

 su]>port. 



The ([uestion next arises as to the size 

 of that small mark. Alter a moment's 

 I'ellectiou it nnist appeal to 

 ^'^^ uV^*" 'i>'V i'eas,,nal)le mind that 

 MarK. whilst the same rule cannot 



be applied to all jiarts of the 

 body, yet a definition can be drawn up to 

 a])])ly so closely to the various ]>arts that 

 no one need err -viz. any mark on the 

 surface of the body, other than the flight 

 and tail feathers, shall not exceed the 

 circumference of a sixpence ; that the 

 extent of dark flue constituting a " tick " 

 be unlimited so long as it does not show 

 on the surface ; dark thighs — one or both - 

 to count as a "tick "' ; not more than four 

 dark flight feathers in one wing shall con- 

 stitute a "tick," or nut more than four 

 dark tail feathers shall constitute a "tick." 

 But a "ticked " bird shall only vnrry one 

 such mark on wing, tail, or bo(l\- : tin- 

 feathers constituting the "tick" nia\- be 

 entirely dark or of a grey or grizzle colour. 

 and may be smaller tluin the s])ecilied size ; 

 or the dark leal hers in flight or tail i'ewer in 

 inimber llian mentioned, bul not more, 

 'i'hough with any one Tiiarking such bird 

 may in ad<liti()n liax'e dark under-lliie so 

 long as that dark flue does not show as 

 the l)ird stands on the jjcrch. 



One I'catui'e in eoimectiou with A'arie- 

 gated birds, and more particularly the 

 Heavily Variegated section, 

 must be noticed as bearing 

 <in our theory of gradation of 

 colour, anil showing that the yellow realb 

 seems to he one form of what we ha\c 

 designated green. It is the fact that in 



The 



Influence of 

 the Green 

 in Breeding. 



A Curious 

 Feature. 



some ]>arts of the bird the gradation is .so 

 delicate that the edge of the green merges 

 in that of the yellow, so that the actual 

 dividing line cannot be discerned. This is 

 most noticeable on the lower ]>ortion of 

 the breast, the stomach and the region of 

 tlu' " waist " among the soft, silky feathers 

 of the sides and toj) of the rump, where 

 some of the richest combinations of hues 

 arc to be found. We do not yet know what 

 is the ]>recise character of the ])igment 

 matter in the cells oi the feather formation, 

 except that a Cireen C'anai'vs plumagi- eon- 

 tains a blending of black and chocolate 

 melanin, and a ]>uro yellow — or what we 

 call " clear " yellow — plumage owes its 

 diiference of colour to the ])resence of these 

 ])igments in a modified degree only. 



We must observe, however, as having 

 much to do with the colour question gener- 

 ally, that the Greens are the 

 strongest as regards colour, 

 and have the greatest power 

 of developing or depositing 

 it — a physiological ])roj)erty 

 that breeders arc not slow to acknowledge 

 and avail themselves of. by having frequent 

 recourse to the (Jreen as a source from 

 whence to derive fresh \igour and eoloui'- 

 produeing j)ower. This nuist not. how- 

 ever, be abused where the desire is to breed 

 a ])reponderanee of clear birds. 'I'he first 

 remove from tlu' (Jreen always produces 

 the greatest depth of yellow, where\-er the 

 clear ]>atch of yellow shows itself; and so 

 it is Ihrongliont the whole scale —so long 

 as there is a vestig(> of a green feather, or 

 even the dark imder-flue attaching to it. it 

 is the e\'idenee of .-i eoloui' producing powii' 

 not |>ossessed by the clcai' bird, for reasons 

 already stated. BenuMuber that the direc- 

 tion in which the breexler travels is Jraiii 

 (laik !ii light, and a clear bird once |)roduced 

 is the enlmin;it ing ]ioiut. Coutimie the 

 diluting ])rocess. and eoloni' recedes: and 

 we must go to our colour-box for a, I'resh 

 supply. 'J'his is tlie enuneial ion of a 

 recoyuised |)rinciple in breeding to which 

 we shall hereafter refer. 



We resume our classification, and I'cmark 

 that the introduction and maintaining of 



