300 



CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



Breeding. 



they arc his hat, gloves, and hoots — things 

 some people don't eare ahoiit. We do. 

 He should be a perfect gentleman in all 

 the details of dress. There is a litness in 

 things : sheep-skin kid gloves, sizes too 

 large, and seditious-looking boots sjioil the 

 best costume. 



Although it is considered dinicult to 

 breed a perfect Lizard, it is not more so 

 than to produce any other 

 bird in ])crlection. Indeed, 

 we think there is every encouragement in 

 connnencing to breed this interesting 

 variety, because its leading features may 

 be said to be fixed. The fancier will not 

 find himself pairing t'icars and ])roducing 

 Picds ; mating marks, and looking in vain 

 for their reproduction ; nor will lie find 

 any of the many seemingly unaccountable 

 results which follow ploughing in some of 

 the fields of the Canary fancy. If he pair 

 Lizards he will obtain Lizards, capped and 

 spangled, and from any given quantity of 

 genuine material will obtain a greater pro- 

 portion of satisfactory results than can, 

 perhaps, be arrived at in any otiier direc- 

 tion, simply because he will find himself 

 working with elements constant in their 

 action. Indeed, considci'ing the comjiara- 

 tivcly small number of Lizard breeders and 

 the few birds lired, we think the percentage 

 of high-class specimens exliibited is far in 

 excess of those found in any other variety, 

 a point worth noting by any breeder un- 

 decided as to a, variety to take u|). 



The general ])rincii)les which should 

 guide the lirccder in selcdion of stock 

 and its subsc(|iicnt management nia\' he 

 gathered fi'om our eiiapter on " I'cdigree 

 Urccding." The im])ortaiicc of iHginning 

 rigid will be inaiiilcst. Let the selected 

 ])arents be the most j)erfect in all ])oiids 

 that can be ])roenred. and obtained Irom 

 some rcliiihic slidhi mi hulli sides. W'e 

 have said " i)erfccl in //// ))oints.'" but 

 reniend)er that the most important aic 

 s])angle and sound body-coioni-. These 

 properties must be maintained whilst at 

 the same time endeavouring to avoid 

 deterioration in the cap. otherwise we shall 

 eventually ha\e no ixrlcetly clear capped 



birds. I'nrortunalely. there is a tendency 

 to degeneration in tliis ])oint even now, 

 and hence the necessity for this caution, 

 for we regard the cap entirely as a culti- 

 vated and not a native development. It 

 is the least constant featui'e, and the most 

 dillicult to manage. Sometimes it is pre- 

 sent in excess, at others in a very imper- 

 fect form, and not unfrequently entirely 

 wanting. Its erratic character is sulficicnt 

 evidence of its having been originally a 

 chance beauty-spot, captured and made 

 the most f)f. and its presence is no more 

 astonishing to us than is the white top- 

 knot on a l)lack Poland fowl. Any feature 

 may be made constant by selection, though 

 it may be a work of time and diiliculty, 

 the development of native features being 

 more easy than the cultivation of sports, 

 which are apt to revert to their original 

 form even under the most careful manage- 

 ment. 



A few specific directions will now suffice 

 for the breeder's guidance in the mating 

 of approved stock. I'air (nild with .Silver 

 always, should be taken as a riile. 'J'lie aihis- 

 ability of exceptional dejiartures from this 

 law will occasionally suggest itself in this as 

 in any other variety in which (luality of 

 feather and colour are ]iroperties in\'ol\ed, 

 though here quality of spangle is also con- 

 cerned. The gain from mating two (Jolds 

 may be set down as comprising improvement 

 in coloiii- and in brilliancy of spangle: the 

 loss, falling olT in size of s])anglc, want of com- 

 jKictness of feather, and eonse<]ueut lack of 

 fcgulai'ity in arrangement of sjiangle arising 

 Irom the (lispkiy of ail excess ol' meal or 

 sil\(i-y jrosting. causing the bird to be too 

 light, or to ha\c a cloudy. " mossy "" back. 

 Hifds iiii(!eci(le(l in the cliaractt'r ol' their 

 fealhcr should be mated accordingly ci,'. 

 a dull (iold ha\ing white marginal I'ringe, 

 |>air with a bright (lold. not with a .SiKcr, 

 which would prnbnbly (inly increase the 

 lault. wliile theic would, on the other hand, 

 most likely he I'ouiul in such an undecided 

 (iold so nuich colour, in addition to the 

 close feather indicated \i\ the presence of 

 the Tucaly fringe, as to waiianl lheex])ecta- 

 tion of something more than a nu'rc 



