3iS 



CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



It is also essential, wlieii ilispateliing 



Bejoians to a show, to see that tliey have a 



good supply of Canary seed, and a tit-bit 



in the cage such as a good pinch of maw 



seed, or a httle egg food, as they sho^v to 



greater advantage after a good feed. 



Scale of Points tor Judging Helgian (".anaiues 



Maximum 

 Head. — Siiuill ;iiul neat, sliLjlitly oval in sliapo 3 

 Neck. — Lony and slender, capable of extension 10 





A BEIGlAiN BKKHDING CAGE. 



Shoulders.-- Hii^li. scinan-, broad and massive, 



well lilled in between the pinions . 

 Back.- Long, bioad, stralgjil. and well lilleil 

 Body.— Long, tajiering gracbially and evenly 



toward the wtnst ..... 

 Breast. — I'roniinent anil dee|) llironnh from 



back In front ..... 



Wings.-Long aiul compact, carried close to the 



body, meeting evenly at the tips . 

 Tail.— Long, narrow, anri slraighl, carried slill 



and compact ..... 



Legs. — Long and straight Ihighs well clcithed. 



Size. 



Feather.— Lor smoothness and ciimlilion 



10 

 5 



5 



5 



5 



Tolal |>oinls of merit (id 

 I'i)siti{in 

 Attitude.- F.rcct stand, easy jiose, tlu- line of 



back and lail as nearly plnndi as ]iossilile 1(1 

 Legs. — Straight and rigid ... I 



Shoulders. -i;ievaled ..... ]ii 

 Head. I)ei)resseil ■....(> 



Neck. — Length of reach and arching . . 10 



Total points of posilinn . 10 



Grand total . 100 



Niyalu'c I'ropiTtics 



sii aim; 



A lielgian should nol have a large, coarse head, nor 

 a short, thick, straight neck, nor narrow shoulders with 

 the points of the pinions raised so as to cause a cavity 

 between llieni: nor should the jjoint of deflection 

 formed b\ tlu' meeting of tlie lines of the neck and back 

 be sharp or angular. .\or should the line of the back 

 be round, nor should it be hollow or have any sign of a 

 " spout " formed by a contiiuiation of a hollow between 

 the shoulders. Neither sliould it have a broad, full 

 breast, nor should the body generally be short or chubby. 

 It should not droop its wings, neither should it cross 

 them at the tijjs. The tail should not lie tliick or fail- 

 shaped, nor deeply forked. It should nol have short 

 legs. The body-feathers should not be open or rough 

 to a degree which interferes with llie general neatness 

 of the bird, ami it slionid not be dimiiiuti\e in size. 



POSITION 



A Belgian should not stand with the line of the back 

 and tail forming other than a ri.ght angle with the plane 

 of the perch, neither should the line be curved : nor 

 should it be restless and unsteady. It should not stand 

 with its knee-joints projecting forwards till thighs and 

 legs arc thrown into a curve, neither should it be cow- 

 hocked or inclined to squat, nor should it refuse to rise 

 to its full height. It should not refuse to elevate its 

 shoulders, nor to dejiress its head, nor to reach out and 

 arch its neck ; nor should it be sluggish or manifest anv 

 want of nervous energy in any of its posit imi niove- 



lUI'lltS, 



Tlie above standard of points is practic- 

 ally the same as that adopted by the United 

 Kingdom Belgian Canary Association ex- 

 cept that we giNe more i)oints for good 

 Ciirriage of tail and slightly reduce the 

 number for smoothness of feather and 

 condition. Our definition of position also 

 dillers slightly. ^Vc feci justilicd in making 

 these alterations, owing to the rejicatcd 

 (•om])laiiits of many Belgians having a 

 tcndencv to " hinge " tail, that is. not 

 carrying the tail stiiT and straight in line 

 with the body. The way to remedy this 

 is to give more jioints to birds free from 

 the fault. 



