Jono 8, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTOHE AND COTIAGK GARDENKK. 



441 



vie with their southern or midland brethren, who devote their 

 time more to the breeding of Norwich bird3, once deaifjnated in 

 a letter to me from Kilmarnock as " painted spuds," or in other 

 words coloured sparrows. 



Some idea of the number of Yorkshire birds bred may be 

 formed from the fact that no less a number than eighty-uiue 

 picked specimens, sent by various noted breeders, put in an 

 appearance at one of the north of England exhibitions last 

 season. The schedules issued from South Stockton, Giiis- 

 borough, Middlesborough, Darlington, York, South Shields, 

 Bedale, Penrith, and Baildon, and likewise Northampton and 

 Norwich, were responded to spiritedly, and many fine birds 

 graced the show stages. 



Unlike the Norwich breeders, who pride themselves more 

 particularly respecting form and colour, several breeders of so- 

 called Yorkshire birds have introduced as a cross the Coppy 

 strain (the plain-headed birds), which has resulted in the pro- 



Fig. 104. — Yorkshire canary. 



dnctiou of unwieldy-looking specimens, not at all answering to 

 the true type of Yorkshire birds. Not unfrequently have I had 

 to pass by specimens bulky or "buUocky" iu shape, exactly 

 in appearances Manchester Plain-heads, preferring those of a 

 medium size, an d somewhat more slim in make and general 

 contour. 



At several shows half a dozen classes are set apart for York- 

 shire-bred birds, two of which are appropriated to Clears 

 (Yellow and Bufi), two for Even-marked, and two more for those 

 Uneven-marked. Some fanciers prefer a six-marked bird, thus : 

 Spectacle-eye marks, dark and regular, smaller or lesser flights, 

 and the tail with a dark feather iu each side. To breed a bird 

 marked to such a degree of nicety is a somewhat difficult matter, 

 and were judges to make choice only of six-marked specimens 

 there would be fewer even-marked birds shown. 



The illustration represents a four-marked Yorkshire Canary, 

 possessing nicely-pencilled eye marks and dark lesser flights, 

 but tail entirely clear. It was sketched from a bird (No. 591 

 exhibited at the last Crystal Palace Bird Show by Mr. Luke 

 Belk of Dewsbury, Yorkshire, a breeder of some repute of 

 this particular kind of Canary, who won the first prize in 

 Class 23, for "Clear, Marked, or Variegated Y'orkshire." At 

 the Palace Exhibition there were but a dozen specimens ex- 

 hibited in the class, some of them of note as prize-winners at 

 previous all-England shows, creditable alike to their owners 

 for the condition they were in when sent for exhibition, especi- 

 ally those shown by Mr. Belk (whose better-half also takes vast 

 interest in the fancy of her husband, and may be seen interest- 

 ing herself at most of the north of England shows), and Messrs. 

 Tomlin, Wilkinson, and Mackley. Evenness of marks to a great 



degree assisted Mr. Belk's bird in defeating Mr. Tomlin's fine 

 clear specimen, which, if I am not mistaken, has succeeded 

 more than once or twice as a first-prizetaker. 



In the past season generally the Yorkshire birds were a source 

 of great attraction (sometimes a little sensational), but no show 

 held presented a finer display of real quality birds than the one 

 held at Baildon, for apart from any remark of an hyperbolic 

 character, I never remember witnessing a finer lot of Yorkshires 

 than Mr. Myers Mann and the Baildon executive collected to- 

 gether from the various exhibitors in England. The first-prize 

 bird exhibited by Messrs. Hutton & Thackray was a complete 

 pink of perfection, and well represented the breed of Yorkshire 

 Canaries. The bird was justly awarded a cup. 



In colour the Y'orkshire Yellow bird is more of a lemon tint, 

 although endeavours have from time to time been made to in- 

 troduce the colour of the Norwich. This cannot be effected 

 without materially affecting the form of the bird, and somewhat 



contracting its length, which is 

 as great an evil as the cross with 

 the Manchester Canary. The 

 Bufi or Mealy birds are lighter- 

 coloured than Norwich birds, 

 but of a close soft appearance of 

 plumage. 



The chief characteristicpoints 

 of the Y'orkshire bird are : — 

 Beak somewhat slender. 

 Head round and moderate in 

 size. 

 Neck straight and longish. 

 Shoulders rather broad, but 

 not too much so, and not high. 

 Back well filled iu and 

 straight. 



Stand, firm and of bold car- 

 riage. 



Wivgs long, and not crossed 

 at the tips. 



Lerjs rather long. 

 Feet and Nails not coarse or 

 twisted awry. 



Feathers close and perfect. 

 (This point Hook upon as amost 

 important one — viz., closeness 

 and condition of feather and 

 the reverse of being coarse. In 

 breeding or crossing- in with the • 

 Manchester blood, closeness of 

 feather becomes deteriorated 

 and loose). 



Taii close and straight. (Pipy- 

 inclined, not fish-tailed.) 



In the marked spechnens the 

 additional points are — 



Eyes. — Pencilled from the 

 beak slightly on each side of the 

 eyes regularly, and tapering to- 

 wards tbe neck. This is prefer- 

 able to the pencilling suddenly 

 chopping off immediately be- 

 hind each eye. The pencilling about each eye should correspond 

 as nearly as possible. 



Lesser Flight Feathers.— Da.r'k without any tendency to grey- 

 ness in the webbing. The more solid the colour the better, and 

 there should be no intermixture of light or white feathers with 

 the dark ones. 



Tail either clear or a dark feather on each side. Eegularity 

 is an important consideration. 



The body and entire bird otherwise should be free from ticked 

 or dark feathers. In an uneven-marked specimen it is of no 

 consequence. — Geo. J. Baknesby. 



DETECTING THE SEX OF EGGS. 



I HAVE noticed more than once in your paper an observation 

 to the effect that the sex cannot be detected. Perhaps not with 

 certainty; but there is a mode in use in the country which has 

 not, I think, been alluded to by you. It is this : By holding 

 the egg before a strong light and making a telescope of the hand, 

 a dark portion will be visible, and its position ia indicative of 

 the sex— e (/., if on the top of the yolk it is a cock certain, if 

 nearly on the top a cock probably ; if on the side, midway, a hen 

 certain. I know a man so practised at the examination of eggs 

 for setting as to feel confident iu the truth of the theory and of 

 his own capability of discriminating. That is to say he wotild 

 guarantee from a lot of eggs to choose a setting of hens certain, 

 or otherwise as desired. — H. G. Watsoh. 



[We have kept and studied poultry more than forty years— 

 ong enough to teach us we know very little on the subject. 



