THE LONDOiN FANCY CANARY 



309 



to honour under the diction of professed 

 London Fancy critics oi' a stern school. 



Tlie undcrflne, a feature of consideral)le 

 importance, should be black in the Yellow 

 or Jonque, and blue-black or slaty in the 

 Mealy or Buff bird. It has a good deal 

 to do with the body-colour, since it must 

 be remembered it is only the exterior 

 portion of the feather which assumes the 



perfectly clear surface to the body. The 

 bird shown on the coloured plate is an 

 ideal specimen after its first moult in full 

 show plumage. 



We shall not think we have written a 

 word too much about this interesting 

 bird if only we succeed in exciting fresh 

 interest and bring it into fashion once 

 more. We shall have succeeded in pop- 



THE IDEAL LONDON FANCY CANARY'. 



golden hue, and the qiuility of this hue 

 depends much on the quality of that por- 

 tion of the feather hidden from sight by 

 the imbricated arrangement of the plumage. 

 The more intensely black the flue, the more 

 brilliant will be the marginal edging of 

 gold. 



Beak, legs, feet, and claws should all be 

 dark, though light ones are not a dis- 

 qualification, for it is rare indeed to get 

 dark beak, legs, feet, and claws with a 



ularising one of the most beautiful of 

 the Canary tribe. 



That the bird is not popular now arises 



really from no fault of its own, unless it 



be that " one season " birds 



Decline of ^j.g j^ever likelv to become 

 the Variety. • 



SO popular as those which 



continue in good plumage year after year 

 — a remark that applies with some force to 

 the Lizard. For this reason, and also on 

 account of the care required to breed it 



