THE CRESTED CANARY 



289 



It is scarcely necessaiy to fix any scale 

 for judging the Variegated Crested birds. 

 It will have been gathered from our detailed 

 description of them that in tlicir case the 

 crest is virtually the entire bird if expressed 

 in numerical values. But inasmuch as it 

 may be desirable to set some limit to 

 fineness of feather and other objectionable 

 features which have crept in with the 

 crest, we give the following values to certain 

 necessary points and apportion the balance 

 to the crest : — 



(f) VARIEGATED CRESTED 



Body Colour — Depth and brilliancy 

 Feather — Compactness of body feather and 

 carriage of wings and tail .... 



Size and Shape ...... 



Condition ....... 



Crest . 



Maximum 

 10 



10 

 10 

 10 

 00 



100 

 Negative Properties 



The Crest should not be small nor of Coppy shape, 

 nor should the centre be too near the front of the 

 head, or too far back, or more to one side than the 

 other, nor should it be in the form of a clear open 

 area, nor as a hue or parting in the centre. The Crest 

 should not be deficient in true radiation, nor should 

 the feathers be flat on the head or project without 

 drooping or assume any position other than falling 

 away from the centre. It should not be narrow or 

 shoi't in front, neither should there be any vacancy 

 of any kind at the back, or split at sides or front or 

 roughness at back, or tilting or lack of density and 

 ciuality of feather, nor should the beak be coarse. 



In a Clear Body Dark Crest the colour of crest should 

 not appear pale, or undecided, or sagey, nor should the 

 dark colour of the crest run into the neck beyond the 

 back of poll, nor should there be a single light feather 

 in any part of the crest. The surface colour of the 

 whole body, wings and tail must be free from any dark 

 colour beyond the crest. 



An Evenly-marked Dark Crest should not show any 

 light flight feathers mixed with the dark. Tlie outer 

 flights should not be dark, and not more than five or 

 six of the inner ones dark. Nor should there be any 

 marking on the greater or lesser wing coverts or the 

 still smaller coverts fringing the upper margin of the 

 wing, which, wlien the bird is at rest, is hidden by the 

 scapulars ; nor should the feathers of the bastard 



wing be dark, it should not show any dark feathers on 

 the margin of the saddle where the feathers merge with 

 those of the wing-coverts, nor any discoloration in 

 the upper or lower tail-coverts, nor should there be 

 any mark whatever to interfere with a clean run above 

 and below from the back of the crest above and from 

 the beak below to the tail. The dark feathers of crest 

 should not extend beyond the back of poll. The Dark 

 Crest should not have a single light featiicr in any 

 part of it. 



A Clear Body Grey Crest should not have any 

 marking of any kind on any part of the body, the crest 

 feathers only being speckled with light and dark. 

 A Clear Body Clear Crested bird must not have any 

 dark colouring on any part of the body wings, tail, or 

 crest. All Crested birds should not have long thin 

 bodies or unproportionate long wings or tail, neither 

 should they cross wings at the tips, nor be erect in 

 carriage, or carry themselves with a slovenly curved 

 demeanour. The body feather should not be loose 

 and slovenly, or trilled on breast, nor should the bird 

 be long and stilly on legs. 



GRESTBREDS 



Points of Merit Maxinmm 



Head — Large and round, broad at every point 



with good rise over centre of skull . . 25 

 Length, density and broad lealiness of head 



feather, commencing at base of beak with a 



good flow over head and poll ... 25 



Eyebrows — Heavy and overhanging . . 10 



Beak — Small and neat ..... 5 



Body Colour — Depth and brilliancy . . 5 

 Compactness of body feather and good carriage 



of wings and tail ..... 10 



Size and shape ...... 10 



Condition ....... 10 



100 



Negative Properties 



A Crestbred should not exhibit any feature opposed 

 to the character of a Crest, and especially should not 

 have a small or narrow head ; nor should the head be 

 flat or narrow at the entrance over beak, nor have a 

 narrow contracted back, or be of shield-shape, nor 

 covered with short scanty fine feather or he sagey in 

 colour. Neither should it be rough or tucked up at 

 the sides at back of poll ; nor guttered behind the eye, 

 or have a coarse beak, nor show any disposition to be 

 slim and puny in build of body, nor have unduly long 

 flights and tail, or cross the wings or be erect in carriage. 

 The body feather should not be carried loose or slovenly, 

 or be frilled on breast. Neither should it be long and 

 stilty on legs. 



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