THE LIZARD CANARY 



295 



the olden time pondering how, on such a 

 foundation, they could rear the structure 

 we are about to describe — a structure so 

 complete and so elaborately finished in 

 every part, as to have become one of the 

 highest, if not the very highest, triumph 

 of the breeder's skill. 



The Lizard Canary has been named from 

 the striking resemblance its glittering 



l)lumage bears to the back 

 SrJ'Lizrr'd* of its scaly prototype, the 



comparison being not at all 

 inapt, especially in the case of some of the 

 old-fashioned sort. In size it is some- 

 what smaller than the Norwich Canary ; 

 but in shape and general conformation it 

 is similar, except that it is scarcely so full 

 in the neck or so large in the head, and 

 though belonging to the chubby school, 

 in no way claims to have any connection 

 with the birds of Shape or Position. Its 

 colour, also, so far as regards the clearly 

 defined line between Yellow and Buff, is 

 as decided as that of any of the colour 

 section ; the Yellow form is appropriately 

 known as Golden Spangled, and the Buff 

 as Silver Spangled. But here we may at 

 once remark that the Yellow or Golden 

 bird is not really of a yellow or gold colour, 

 but is rather, as regards what is called its 

 body-colour, a rich, dark, bronzy yellow 

 very difficult to paint in words so as to 

 be recognised, unless we have a familiar 

 acquaintance with the warm tones of some 

 of the rich umbers of the artist's colour- 

 box. The richer, warmer, and purer the 

 tone of this body-colour, the more valuable 

 it is, and in it there should be no admixture 

 of a greenish tinge. 



The body-colour, or, as it is frequently 

 called, the ground-colour, can be best 

 gauged by its display on the breast, which 

 is generally a pretty good index of the 

 quality in this respect. It will be obvious 

 to all who have carefully read our remarks 

 on the nature of the colour on the back of 

 any dark Self — a Cinnamon, for instance — • 

 that that is not the best jDlace to look for 

 an exhibition of ground-colour in a mass, 

 the formation of the feathers of the back 

 and the graduated colouring of each being 



The Cap. 



adverse to such display, though the edu- 

 cated eye soon detects the appeai'ance of 

 the true shade in whatever place it appears. 

 On the breast, where there is less of this 

 graduated shading than anywhere, and 

 where what is jiresent does not in any way 

 affect the display as a whole, there is, how- 

 ever, to be seen, delicately traced and 

 softened down into hazy indistinctness, 

 something like rudimentary spangling, 

 which takes a more definite form as it 

 approaches the sides and stretches away 

 towards the region of the waist, where it 

 not unfrequently seems to gather itself 

 up into dark stripes, all of which indicates 

 possession of that species of feather which 

 produces good spangle. 



So far, we have referred to the colour 

 of the Lizard only in general terms, and 

 the bird, as it at present 

 appears on our canvas, must 

 therefore at this stage be understood to 

 be simply roughed out in the warm groiuid- 

 colour we have indicated, and we will now 

 proceed to finish it in detail. 



Beginning with the head, we remark that 

 it is one of the most important features in 

 a good Lizard, and, while having extreme 

 neatness and finish, must also have good 

 width of skidl, in order that it may show 

 to the greatest advantage what is held by 

 many fanciers to be the greatest ornament 

 of the bird — viz. the cap covering the 

 crown, which in a Golden Lizard is a patch 

 of pure yellow, and in a Sih^er pure buff. 

 It will be sufficient to say that just in pro- 

 portion to the warmth of the ground-colour 

 will be the richness of the pure coloiu- on 

 the crown, which is no doubt only one 

 form of development of the body-colour. 

 Li shape the cap should approach an oval, 

 though there are almost as many opinions 

 on this matter as there are slightly varied 

 forms ; some like to see it bounded by a 

 straight line at the back, or, as it is called, 

 " cut square," and others perfectly elliptical. 

 Perhaps the best form is what is familiarly 

 termed a " thumb-nail," which may be 

 taken as midway between the two, being, 

 in fact, a " square-cut " cap with the 

 corners rounded off, by which nothing of 



