302 



CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



tion. I like to see a nice clear cap of tluinil)- 

 nail shape in conjunction with a well-spangled 

 body and good ground-colour. I also like size, 

 bul this is no use without the spangle and 

 ground-colour, and that is why I look for the 

 two important points first in |)airing. I select 

 a clear capped Gold cock of as good size as 

 possible, with a nice broad back well tilled in, 

 not hollow, and legs, feet, and beak as dark as 

 possible, and wings and tail jet black. Of 

 course I am speaking of a bird with its first 

 flights and tail, as after the first year, when they 

 have had their second moult, the flights come 

 grey ; but it does not matter if they were black 

 the first season. I pair such a cock to a good 



CLE.\R-C.\['1'ED l.r/ARD CAN.AKY. 



Silver hen (broken capped preferred), also good 

 in spangle and enlour. 



"When using a Silver cock I go on the same 

 lines of selection, pairing him lo a C'lold hen. I 

 very seldom pair two clear capped birds logether. 

 Birds whose first flights and tails are of a grizzle 

 grey colour I do not use, nor any with bald 

 faces, as if such defects gel fixed in one's stock 

 they take a lot of getting out. If (be cocks fail 

 in any little jjolnt I always pair lliem with a 

 hen particularly good in Ihal poinl. 



" Many grand IJzards fail in head ; they are 

 inclined to be puny and snipy-looking. The 

 skull of a Lizard should be broad, rather long. 

 and slighlly flat on top. When selecling my 

 breeding pairs I always try to keej) these points 

 well in view, as they give a sel-off to good 

 birds. Some fanciers I know- have a fancy for 

 pairing their Lizards all one way; Ihal is, all 

 Silver cocks and Gold hens, others vice versa. 

 Either way gives good results ; for instance, my 



well known ' King of Golds ' was bred from a clear 

 capped Silver cock winner of diploma for best 

 Lizard at the Crystal P;ilace, and a non-capped 

 Gold hen, tliis hen not having a single light feather 

 in her cap. Then, again, my non-capped Gold 

 hen ' The Queen.' acknowledged by most breeders 

 to be one of the best Lizards ever bred, and 

 which won against cocks a diploma at the 

 Crystal Palace for best Lizard, was bred from 

 a broken-capped Gold cock, himself a Palace 

 winner, and a broken-capped Silver hen. I 

 have, in fact, always bred good birds from 

 both Gold and Silver cocks. 



■' I breed in the ordinary sized box breeding 

 cage, and moult all my young birds in single 



cages 15 Inches long, 

 -,^,^.,„„.i ^«=,==t=Ki^™nM jp inches high, and 8 



inches deep from back 

 to front. This makes 

 certain of no plucking. 

 I cover the front of 

 the cage with a piece 

 of brown paper during 

 the moult with holes 

 cut in it, where the 

 water, seed ho])per. 

 and egg drawer are. I 

 also run a white sheet 

 in froiU of the cages, 

 and I am sure by this 

 Ibat I get my birds 

 Ihrough the moull 

 (|uieker and also a 

 betler colom-. The 

 eoNcring down helps to 

 prevent their plumage 

 getting damaged. I 

 use the best colour 

 food I can procure, 

 hoi Natal pepper to each 

 as the usual ([uanlilv of 



adding I oz. of besi 

 1 IIj. of cold, as wel 

 sugar and almond oil." 



The Lizard possesses its sliow-pluina^c 

 for one year only. In its nest-l'eathers it 



sliows no spangle whatever. 

 Show |„,t is just like a eomnion 



Plumage of (-.^.^,^,^^ ^;.^^^.^,.^. ^^n,^ ^ ..j,,,^^. 

 the Lizard. ... 



caj), though some nulieations 



oi' its i'uturc character may be diseenied 

 by a practised eye. The breast ol' a good 

 (lold nestling is speckled not >inlikc timt 

 oi' a Skylark, and simdry other sniaii iUnis 

 arc so many grounds of hope on which 

 l)reeders ])iii tluir faith on such and such 

 a bird moulting out a good siiceimcn. 



Tlie changes whicli take place at the first 

 and second moults arc these : In common 



