THE LIZARD CANARY 



299 



margin ; else, when the wing is closed, the 

 effect of these minute edgmgs of colour 

 placed side by side will be to give the 

 appearance of a transverse band of light 

 colour extending in the direction of the 

 middle of the wing, just so far into it as 

 the close packing of the primaries will 

 produce it, entirely destroying the effect 

 of what should be a uniformly dark wing. 

 This defect is sometimes very patent, and 

 an examination of the individual feathers 

 of such a wing will show an extended mar- 

 gin of distinctly grey edging which is very 

 objectionable. It should be remembered 

 that it is the broader inner flights — 

 technically, the tertiaries, or tertials — 

 those in which the stalk is found in the 

 middle of the web, which have the wide 

 marginal lacing, and that as the stalk nears 

 the outside the light margin should vanish. 

 We strongly recommend a carefid examin- 

 ation of a living wing, closed and expanded, 

 when the distriljution and effect of the 

 colour will be plainly discerned. 



The larger wing-coverts also have much 

 to do with the make-up of a bird in which 

 every feather has its definite value. Each 

 covert must represent a smaller edition of 

 its corresponding flight, the position and 

 the extent of outer edging displayed 

 demanding the most exact lacing : the 

 innermost are hidden by the marginal 

 feathers of the saddle. \Mth these larger 

 coverts, lacing may almost be said to end 

 and spangling to begin, for the second or 

 smaller coverts with their rounded extrem- 

 ities possess something very much resem- 

 bling the dark terminal eye which deter- 

 mines spangle, albeit the marginal fringe 

 does not assume a silver or a golden colovu- 

 until we reach the row of feathers next 

 above these, which, however, are not on 

 the wing, but are the outer row of the 

 scapidars overlapjiing the base of these 

 beautiful second coverts with the most 

 perfect regularity. 



It will now readily be seen that our term 

 Distinctive Plumage is not misapplied, 

 since the character of om- bird depends, 

 literally, on the distinctive character of 

 each feather. 



It sometimes happens that an otherwise 

 beautiful wing is spoiled by the presence of 

 one or two (one is enough to disqualify 

 under the rigid Lizard law) clear feathers, 

 which, when they occur in the smaller 

 coverts, constitute what is known as a 

 " rose shoulder," " rose wing," or " shell 

 wing " {see p. 298). This is a most vexa- 

 tious and fatal blemish. A white flight- 

 feather will also only too frequently intrude 

 where " black, home to the quill," forbids 

 its presence. Such a feather is fatal and 

 entails summary disqualification, though 

 if it be not absolutely white, but show some 

 trace of black in stalk or web, it does not 

 actually disqualify ; but however good 

 the bird may be in other respects, it 

 practically ruins its winning chances. 



Any dark flight-feathers lost by accident 

 are usually replaced by dark or grey flights 

 tipped at the outer ends with white, and 

 though they are not an actual disqualifica- 

 tion, they tell to their extent against an 

 otherwise good show bird. We need 

 scarcely add that if any feathers ought to 

 be blacker than the rest they are those 

 of the bastard wing. 



Travelling to the other end of the bird, 



we find the tail, the twelve feathers of 



which must be essentially the 



The Tail, same in character as the 



e s, an ilights. It must not be spread 



out like a fan, nor piped, but 

 expanded just enough to show the extreme 

 outer margin of each feather, its base being 

 thatched by the ujiper coverts, Avhich must 

 not show the slightest approach to coarse- 

 ness — a defect not for a moment to be 

 tolerated anywhere in a Lizard. 



Cap, spangle, wings, and tail : there can- 

 not be much remaining, except the beak, 

 legs, and claws, which ought to be as dark 

 as possible, since the clear beak and flesh- 

 coloured legs and claws are indicative of a 

 tendency towards paling in colour. The 

 general appearance of a Lizard is dark, and 

 he belongs to a dark-flue school : light 

 points are, as a matter of contrast, objec- 

 tionable ; as a matter of breeding, still 

 more so. Dark beak, dark legs, and ebony 

 claws are the correct thing in a Lizard : 



