220 



CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



and at the same time cnidieate all trace 

 of the original colour. We have also said 

 that so long as there is a vestige of a green 

 feather remaining, the colour-woik goes 

 on Avith greater energy ; and it is only fair 

 to consider whether the ]>rcsenee of dark 

 under-fluc in any ([uantity is nut indicative 

 of a considerable amount of the green 

 clement still at work, and whether such a 

 hii'd rcallN' has bidden good-bye to the green 

 and is perfectly clear. 



We do not desire to take a one-sided view 

 of the question, and are (;[uite prepared for 

 the inquiry : If a bird scores tio green, where 

 else can it be put exce])t among the Clears, 

 or the externally clear, since every other 

 class does show it ? But the plan of com- 

 bating objections bj' asking questions is 

 generally open to being itself met in the 

 same way; and wc would rcj)ly by asking: 

 If birds with dark inidcr-fluc are stronger 

 colour-])rodncei's Ijy virtue of that taint, 

 aic not the a])solutcly clear practically as 

 much at a disadvantage in being lirought 

 into competition with them, as they would 

 be if made to enter the lists with the Ixuki. 

 fide Ticked birds, w-hich are considered the 

 first remove from Clear, and have one leg 

 already inside the door ? Dillicnltics always 

 couuni lice wlu ii wc hesitate about drawing 

 a clcarly-dcrmcd boundary line. When we 

 have luai'kcd out our ground, avc have 

 iidthing to do l)iii l<> (h'i\c in diii' slakes 

 and go ahead with our Fence on the line ; 

 but if we })egiii to diverge here and there 

 to include somcthiug without oui' circle, 

 we at once lay the i'oundal inn dF 1rnid)lc. 

 Now, it is not the breeding up to almost - 

 but-nol -(|uite clear that is dillicult. but it 

 is the ])utting the finishing touches to the 

 work and turning out perfection, without 

 a taini oF impcrl'cetion. that shows llic 

 niastcr-workinan ; and wc have seen really 

 clear gems, ckar thi'oughout. with snow\- 

 wliite silky Hue, that it would be- a sin to 

 |nil inio competition with birds carrNing 

 dark under-llue which " blow black "" all 

 over, csjiccially I'ound the waist. And here 

 wc draw our line and dcllne '"Clear"' to 

 mean : not having the remotest tinge of 

 dark colour in ([uill, ilue, or feather ; birds 



from which every trace of the green has been 

 eliminated so far as the colour of the feathers 

 is concerned : the feathers have a clear, 

 silky, snowy-white under-fhie, and show by 

 it that they have arrived at the goal. There 

 is not a fancier who has ever exhibited .a 

 high-class hnud fuic Clear of his own breed- 

 ing that would not object to be Ijcatcn by 

 a bird with dark flue : and " doing as you 

 would be done by "' is not a bad plan to 

 follow, even in the matter of a siuiplc 

 cjuestion on Canary classilication. 



We have no desire to turn the dark-Hue 



liirds out of their comjKinionship with the 



Clears without finding a i)lace 



r.^ . ,.. for them, and we submit that 



TicKed" ... 



Class. then' proper place is the bana 



fide " Ticked " division, which 

 we define to mean : noi lightly "\aricgated " 

 in the sense in which we have explained 

 the latter, but simply as having a small 

 ])atch of dark, or grey, or grizzled feathers, 

 or dark Hue. Nineteen o\it of every twe.nty 

 of them are ticked, for a " snu)ky "' thigh 

 and dark flue are first cousins. It is 

 frequently only the delicate flue of the 

 silky, downy covering of the thighs that 

 is dark ; and so long as the thighs remain 

 in good repair, and the bird sits still, the 

 discoloration is not perceptible without 

 looking twice at it. Jhit the bird flics up 

 against the wires and uncovers his thighs, 

 iuid then it is plain cnniinh : the colour is 

 tliere, and the bird owes his dee]), I'ich tone 

 of yellow to it, and is not clear, and his 

 grizzled thighs arc as mncli ticked as is 

 the head or neck oF tlu- bird in the next 

 class, which may i)low almost perfectly 

 clear, and \r.i\v nol more than halF-a-do/.cn 

 grey Feathers in it. Birds of this kind are 

 all on an ccjuality : they arc in one and 

 the same stage in the march 1 owards /"/Tf- 

 ddiii Innii ///(■ tniee of green, the ))ossi'ssion 

 of which, be it ever so slight, groups them 

 in one class. 



Our arrangement of the \\holc in order 

 oFcolour-gradatioii is- first, (ireen ; second, 

 N'aricgated ; third, Clciir. Subdividing 

 tliciu Further for the pnrpnscoF more de- 

 tailed classification, and arranging them 

 again in comi)letc order, we have — (o) 



