THE CRESTED CANARY 



281 



In pairing to secure crest, it is manifest 

 that some sacrifice must be made on one 

 side or the other, or on both, and tiie mode 

 of procedure to be followed is, briefly, in 

 the first place to reject those birds which 

 show no marked character either w'ay, 

 and then to select from the rest those in 

 which crest has been stamped with the 

 least loss of character consistent with the 

 greatest amount of gain in improved 

 condition of body-feather. Systematic 

 pairing of these birds among themselves, 

 or with approved strains, will accomplish 

 all that can be desired. Out of the varied 

 produce will occasionally spring a specimen 

 apparently far in advance of his fellows ; 

 but the breeder must not come to the con- 

 clusion that the three jjoints — crest, feather. 

 and shape — are fixed until he sees theni 

 rejieated, not in isolated cases, but with 

 sufficient frequency to warrant him looking 

 in some particular direction for some 

 special feature, and finding it produced. 

 As the distinctive featiu-es of each bird 

 become gradually merged in the type, 

 quite as much attention will be required to 

 maintain the groimd gained as has been 

 expended in making it, and any tendency 

 towards decline must be met by the intro- 

 duction of a fresh sujiply of the failing 

 element. The breeder who has worked 

 with several pairs, and has noted carefidly 

 the character of his stock, knows exactly 

 where to lay his hand on what he requires. 

 Here he notices a falling away in crest, 

 and mates with it a rather coarse or extra 

 heavily feathered Crestbrcd. It scarcely 

 looks like the sort of bird we would like 

 to cross with a fine strain, but he knows 

 it was the only rough one out of a fine 

 nest, and can do wonders in resuscitating 

 crest without affecting body-feather. And 

 here is a rather persistent coarseness, at 

 which he fires a shot bj- pairing with an 

 exquisitely neat bird, and so on, doing 

 nothing without a reason, adding crest, 

 and reducing coarseness. Even width of 

 the web of the feather has something to 

 do with adding feather, as a wide web 

 must carry more feather substance than a 

 narrow one. 

 36 



Two wide-headed Crestbreds are some- 

 times paired together to counteract a 

 tendency to lose width of skull in the 

 Crestbreds. and the young from these are 

 paired back to Crests which have been 

 bred from two Crests, so as to increase the 

 Ijcrcentage of Crests in the resulting pro- 

 geny. Some pairs throw good Crests and 

 inferior Crestbreds, and others just the 

 reverse. These results must be carefully 

 noted for the pairing of their descendants, 

 as for breeding and show ])urposes alike, 

 equal care nuist be given to the production 

 of both good Crestbreds and good Crests. 



It is nuich easier to produce marking in 

 the Crested than in the ordinary Plainhead 

 variety, less being de- 

 Breeding for ,„a,Kled, and what is re- 

 MarKings. 



quired being more easily 



controlled. The only two points are a 

 dark crest and even marking on the wings, 

 the dark crest appearing either by itself 

 or in connection with the wing-marking. 

 We have said how the same marking that 

 stamps the wing also stamps the crest, 

 and it only remains to show the best 

 means to adopt to secure one or both. 

 What dillicidty there is arises from the 

 previously explained erratic character of 

 variegation generallv, which, when once 

 introduced, is apt to turn up in places 

 where its company is not wanted. 



We will take the Evenly-marked Crest 

 first, as it is usually considered to occupy 

 the foremost position as the more difficult 

 to breed. To obtain these the Green 

 clement is required on one side only, and 

 in selecting the Crested parent we would 

 as soon choose a Grey, or even a Clear 

 Crest, as any other — though good examples 

 of the latter are seldom seen — and pair it 

 with Crestbred hens neatly and exactly 

 marked on the wings. We should not, 

 unless under special circumstances, select 

 birds marked on the eyes, because any such 

 marking on the face of a Crest is fatal to 

 its reputation. This is all that is required, 

 and the produce will most probably consist 

 of (a) Grey Crests, which, of course, will be 

 Clear-bodied — with but very few excep- 

 tions, and these exceptions will usually 



