THE CRESTED CANARY 



285 



year were bred from double Buffs. But when 

 pairing double Buffs if one of tbeni is lired from 

 a Yellow I have paired double Buffs for five or 

 six generations. I am fond of a good BulY 

 bred from a Yellow, and always look (even if 

 I do not get it) for an improvement from this 

 cross. 



" It is some fifteen years since I introduced 

 any fresh blood into my stock. The last bird 

 was an old Buff C.oppy cock, a Manchester 

 winner, from which I bred a good numl)er of 

 youngsters. During the past ten years I have 

 mated my birds as distant in relationship as I 

 could, in order to hold the strain as long as 

 possible without introducing any fresh blood. 

 It's been a bit of trouble to me lately to know 

 where to get a change of blood from, therefore 

 I have put in this year another Buff Coppy 

 cock, a Rochdale and ^Manchester winner. I 

 think I ought to have had a change of blood 

 four or five years ago, and I would not recom- 

 mend anyone to breed so long without intro- 

 ducing fresh blood. 



" In selecting my stock I always pick out the 

 best type and quality in preference to a bird 

 simply nothing but a bundle of long loose 

 feathers. I like long and very dense feathers, 

 but I like them as tight and compact as I can 

 get them." 



We have spoken of the benefit.s derived 



from tlie Lancashire. Mr. Barnett has 



told us also of the excellent 



^'"■. ; ■ results from its nse, not 

 Quinton. ' 



abuse. Like testimony is also 

 forthcoming from Mr. C. L. Quinton, of 

 Great Yarmouth, an old breeder and 

 successful exhibitor who has bred manjf 

 good Crests and Crestbreds in his time, 

 who says : 



" I introduce the Lancashire into my Crested 

 strain about every fourth or fifth year, selecting 

 the best of the young first crosses to pair back 

 to the Crest variety, selecting some of my liest 

 Crests and Crestlueds in sha]5e and head pro- 

 perties to pair with them to Ijring up the proper 

 shape of the crest again which takes a season 

 or two. When I have got them back to the 

 proper shape I then inbreed for a season to set 

 the work accomplished, and have even paired 

 father and daughter for one season, when he 

 possessed the head pr(,pcrties desired, then paired 

 the young right out again. I find this method 

 answers well, and I have bred some of my very 

 best Crests and Crestbreds in this way." 



Mr. Thos. Taylor, of Gatcshcad-on-Tyne, 

 a noted breeder and exliibitor, who has 



achieved great distinction in breeding 

 and exhibiting Crests, thus gives his ex- 

 perience : 



" The lu'eeding of Crests and Crestl)reds must 

 be conducted on well-considered lines, as there 



are certain principles laid 

 Mr. Thos. Taylor down to which every 

 on Breeding. breeder must conform, 



no matter in what way 

 he sets out to achieve his ideal of perfection. 

 In regard to the right class of bird, the chief 

 centre ol attraction is the head, be it Crest or 

 Crestbred, which is apt to somewhat detract 

 our attention from the body of the bird ; but 

 it must not be entirely overlooked. One of the 

 essential points of this variety is size of crest, 

 and to carry a large, heavy crest we must have 

 a large head, and to carry a large head we 

 should have body in proportion. I do not say 

 it is not possible to have a large head on a small 

 body, but my aim is to get the whole frame 

 improved in proportion by paying more atten- 

 tion to the body. This eventually adds to the 

 frame as a whole, without in any way injuring 

 the chief point — viz. the head. In fact, it 

 enhances and improves the birds all round, not 

 only their appearance, but the birds themselves, 

 as this all-round building up helps lo slreiiglhen 

 and invigorate them, which is greatly needed in 

 the present day. 



"The formation of head is one of the essential 

 points in breeding this variety, for unless birds 

 have well formed heads we can never hope to 

 breed a first rate crest. Many birds have flat 

 skulls. When I use such birds I pair them lo Inrds 

 with nicely arched heads. I have seen some 

 very good results from such pairing. Speaking 

 of flat heads, one year during my early experi- 

 ence I paired up a Variegated Yellow Crestbred 

 cock with grandly arched head and grand 

 length of head feather to a Crested hen a trifle 

 flat in head. From this pair I bred a Crestbred 

 hen, lightly ticked, with grand headpiece, well 

 covered with long feather of rare quality. This 

 bird held her own in many competitions, and 

 also left her mark in the breeding-room. In the 

 same nest was a Yellow Crest cock, heavily 

 variegated, but, unlike the hen, very flat- 

 headed, and although the crest was of good 

 size, it had not the taking appearance of a bird 

 with nicely arched head, as it lacked the droop. 

 1 paired this bird up the following year with a 

 Crestbred hen of rare head formation, and had 

 the good fortune not to have a single flat-headed 

 bird amongst the offspring. The following year 

 I paired the first-mentioned Yellow Crestbred 

 up to a rather small Green-crested hen, though 

 very well bred. In the second nest from this 

 pair I reared a lightly marked Crestbred cock 



