THE LONDON FANCY CANARY 



307 



and liOndon Fancy. This high state of 

 perfection it retains only until its next 

 moult. 



This change we take to be analogous to 

 that supervening on the first moult of the 

 Lizard, though the resulting effects may 

 have becon\e so widely simdered in the 

 lapse of two centuries as to appear, super- 

 ficially, to have no relation. Here, how- 

 ever, is the foundation of a metamorphosis 

 which we think more likely to have pro- 

 gressed in the direction of from dark to 

 light, the line in which it always drifts, 

 than in the opposite way. The liizard 

 still has, after who knows how many 

 years of persistent endeavour to fix and 

 enrich its dark plumage, a latent dis- 

 position to i^ale, ever}^ avenue of escape 

 requiring careful watching. The perfect 

 development of either the dark spangled 

 coat of the Lizard or the light rich dress of 

 the London P^xncy is the work of extreme 

 care and systematic breeding, and we do 

 not think that the presence of occasional 

 light ticks in the one or dark ticks in the 

 other proves much for cither side, since the 

 argument pro and con is equally cogent ; 

 for if it be urged that the Lizard has a direct 

 disposition to pale, and that there are not 

 wanting instances which could be adduced 

 to show how colour and spangle have van- 

 ished very rapidly — and, ergo, the London 

 Fanc}^ is the perfect development of this 

 tendency — it might be urged with equal 

 force that since the fault of the London 

 Fancy is a leaning towards ticks and 

 rudimentary spangle, ergo the Lizard is the 

 perfected development of this feature. 

 We think that the fountain whence flowed 

 these two streams is more likely to be dis- 

 covered by following the Ijroader theory 

 that, of two given forms of colour, one dark, 

 but having a tendency to fade, and the 

 other light, with an inclination towards a 

 darker form, the first would descend 

 through a greater space than the second 

 could climb, and would ultimately lose 

 more of its original character and approach 

 more nearly the level of the second than 

 would the second be able to do in an opjjo- 

 site direction by any latent energy. 



Following tlie bird a stage further in its 

 existence, we find that on its second 

 moult it undergoes another 

 After the change. Its body plumage 

 Second , ^ If-., u rr 



Moult. loses nuich of its brilliancy, 



and Avhat ticks or rudimen- 

 tary spangles may have been present 

 eitlier disappear or become much less dis- 

 tinct. But the great change is in the wings 

 and tail-feathers, which are now replaced 

 by jellow ones in which the shaft alone is 

 dark, giving the bird a grizzly, jiencilled 

 appearance. And this is just the case with 

 the Lizard in a corresponding degree. 

 His body does not turn yellow, nor do his 

 strong quills ; the bird has been too care- 

 fully bred with a view to maintaining these 

 in their native strength to suppose this all 

 at once possible, but the tendency is there 

 and shows itself in the most decided way. 

 We need not say that the occasional 

 presence of exceptionally strong colour 

 which requires more than one moult materi- 

 ally to affect its tone, proves nothing but 

 the evidence of skill on the part of the 

 breeder to combat a tendency which is 

 known to exist ; and which in time always 

 asserts its potency. In the ordinary run 

 of Lizards, however, this decadence sets 

 in steadily on the shedding of the wings 

 for the first time ; and we intentionally 

 refrained in our Lizard notes from referring 

 to the extent to which this sometimes does 

 take place, in order that we might apply 

 it to our present purpose. Golden Lizards 

 in particular are frequently seen after one 

 or two moults so entirely changed as to 

 be almost unrecognisable as Lizards ; the 

 cap is gone altogether, and in its place an 

 irregular patcli of colour, including the face 

 and throat, and covering a great portion 

 of the neck ; spangle, gone altogether, and 

 resolved into a grizzly form, rendering the 

 back much clearer than we have seen in 

 many a " strong " or heavily ticked London 

 Fancy. 



We shall not follow this any further. 

 For the fancier's purpose it is immaterial 

 which was the parent stem, or even whether 

 either is really the foundation of the other, 

 though it is quite within the bounds of 



