342 



CANARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



GoIdfinch = 

 Canary. 



British birds. But as the term " Ilyliiid " 

 is obviously applicable to all, wi' prelcr f(( 

 adopt the one heading defining the erosses 

 by their parents, remembering that with 

 Ilybritls the sire is always ineutioned first. 



We lead olT willi tiie Goldfinch an<l Canary 

 Hybrid because we believe it to be one of the 

 if not the actual first true 

 Hybrid la'cd from parents be- 

 longing to two distinct species, 

 and also because it is the most ])0])ular and 

 beautiful of crosses. Ill shape a good Goldfinch 

 and Canary Hybrid should resemble the Norwich 

 type Canary as much as possilile, with the 

 exce|)tlon of the head only, which ought lo be 

 long and " snaky," like that of Ihe I'incli. 

 There is a great difference in shape e\iii in the 

 heads of Goldfinches, and the ])raclised eye 

 soon learns to single out the long beak and 

 peculiar form of head which give the character 

 lo I lie bird so much prized by fanciers, and if 

 is this formation which should be shared by 

 the Hybrid. We will not stay to describe the 

 exact difference between the head of the Canary 

 and that <if the Goldfinch. Iiut a glance at the 

 coloured illuslralions will show that the former 

 is furnished with a short, strong beak, while the 

 beak uf flic laller has a larger base and nuuh 

 greatei' lenglli — imu'e length, indeed, tlum many 

 would sui)i)ose until made aware of Ihe fact 

 by critical exanunalion. The (Hildliiuh's lieak 

 also is vei'V lapering. eiiiling in a \v\\ Inie, 

 needle-like ])oiul. We ha\c ucxcr xct seen a 

 genuine Hybrid of lids cross wliicli cMd nol 

 markedly ])OSSess llie heail and beak of llie 

 Goldfinch persuasion. 'Hie bod\ shape anil 

 style of file iiird will laiijclv (lc|iend u|>on llial 

 of the lu'U from which if has been lired. 



The |>oiuls (d a Clear ( ioldlinch-l^anary, 

 ajjarl from Ihe indispensable spotless plumage, 

 are file lichness of Ihe bloom on Ihe wings, and 

 Ihe iulensily and area <d Ihe (ioldllnch lilaze 

 or lliish oil Ihe face, great weighl being al- 

 laciuil lo llic ((inlinuily of the latter f<'ature, 

 and lis freedom from such defecis as are in- 

 dicaled in our iioles on the general characlerislics 

 of a good face. These, with (laiid si/.e, and 

 ])erfeclly clear body colour of a rich shade 

 lliroughoul . be il \ell(iw or biilf. willioiil Ihe 

 slightest suspicion of a dark tick anywtiere, form 

 the perfect Goldfmeh and Canary Hybrid. 

 .\ Clear- ^■(■llow. such as shown on our (jiloured 

 I^iate and on ]i. 77. will always lake precedence 

 over a HulT of ecpial meril. 



We now come lo llie Ticked Goldfincli- 

 Canary, a bird wilb bul one small palch of 

 dark, grey, or griz/.le coloured fealhers cm an 

 ollurwise clear body. Such a Hybrid, owing 

 to lis being only this one slep from jicr/iclicni. 



usually competes in Ihe cla.sswilh Clear Hybrids, 

 in which case, if otherwise etiual in meril. the 

 " lick " would turn the scale in favour of the 

 (;i<ar. The Ticked bird i.s often a shade richer 

 in body colour. Not infrequently a Hybrifl with 

 two eye marks, the rest of the body clear, or 

 two wing marks, if only two or three feathers 

 in each wing are dark and Ihe rest of the body 

 clear, also competes with llu' Clear and Ticked 

 birds. They are termed two-pointed, and 

 technically are just as much an Iiven-marked as 

 a bii'd maiked bolh eyes and wings (see p. 341), 

 bul owing to a two-marked bird being vastly 

 inferior — as an evenly marked bird — to a four 

 or six-|)ointed one — that is, marked eyes and 

 wings, or eyes, wings, amf a dark feather or 

 two on eitfier side of tail, they are allowed by 

 licence to comp.'le with the I'nevenly-marked 

 birds, if nol classified with the Clear or Ticked. 



Next, though second in order of meril, are 

 Ihe Evenly-marked birds, of which the different 

 points of excellence in marking have been 

 minutely detailed in Chapters XVI f. and XIX., 

 for there are two, four and six-iioinfed birds 

 amongst Hybrids, just as in Canaries. We may, 

 however, obser\e that good eye-marks (that 

 is. clearly defineif and neatly pencilled marks 

 encomiiassiiig the whole of the eye wilhout a 

 break) are not common among the .lonques 

 (Yellow). 



Among the Huffs, however, this feature 

 is frequently of most singular beauly, being 

 nol only accurale in oulliiu'. bul aslonisliing 

 in colour, sometimes being found lilerally as 

 black as jel. N<'galive properli<'s, such as 

 dark flue in the region of the \cnf or smoky 

 tail-co\eiis. lell, ('M'i'\ feather cd' I hem. against 

 high-class Hybrids in close compel il ion. 



Aparl from this severe standard as apjilied 

 lo marking. Ihe leading jioinls in an l-Aenly- 

 marked Goldruuh and Canary Hybrid are 

 purity and lichness of the body -lea I her. .loncpie 

 ]ihimage niiisl be glilleriiig and I I'aiisparenI, 

 wilhonl a I race of Ihe opaiily induced by Ihe 

 pri-sence of meal. Waul of cliaracler here tefls 

 wilh fatal elTccf, and is a failing more frecpienlly 

 seen among .loiupics Ihan lUilfs. where the 

 colour is generally so ilecided as lo lea\e no 

 room for doubl. a (piesi ionable Hulf being a 

 raiilx. The K'Slure of Ihe tealher, loo. is a 

 thing by ilself. In llie linest-feaf hered .Norwich 

 Canary ever Hedged I here is always perceplible 

 ill Ihe body-feallier more or less of wlial we 

 may call grain, bul Ihe clear i)lumage of a 

 Goldfinch ll\brid is. in comparison, as glossy 

 salin is lo llie linesl ribbed silk: il has no 

 grain, bul simply a polished surface, a singularly 

 line texture which, as we ex])laini'd. is allri- 

 bulable lo llie hybrid character of llie bird, 

 and which, in its highesl form, is Ihe tangible 



