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formed, and an exhibition held similar to that we have 

 just mentioned.* Persons breeding these birds must 

 be very careful in mating them, if they wish to secure 

 first-rate ones. For instance, a high-colored, either 

 male or female, should be put with a pale bird (mealy) ; 

 for if two high-colored birds are mated together, small, 

 delicate, and thin-feathered birds will generally be pro- 

 duced: and, on the other hand, if two pale ones are 

 mated together, their young will lose greatly in beauty 

 of color. Loosed-feathered birds — that is, birds whose 

 feathers do not lie smooth — are apt to throw out young 

 ones very inferior in size to their parents ; if, therefore, 

 we possess such, and for its shape and other good qual- 

 ities still like to breed from it, great care should be 

 taken to procure a very smooth-feathered mate for it. 

 And again, if we have a favorite bird, combining all the 

 requisite qualities, with the exception of one or two, we 

 must then procure a mate for it who possesses these 

 qualities to perfection. If these qualities are neglected, 

 the long breed bird, being an artificial one, as to its 

 length and shape, may degenerate to their original size. 

 By this little history of the long-breed canary, we 

 show that the fancy for them differs very much from 

 those of the common German Birds — the latter being 

 educated and taught in their singing qualities, and kept 

 by the lovers of birds to please the ear with their de- 



* This exhibition was first introduced in New York in 

 1846, and generally takes place in the month of Januarys 

 which is announced in the daily papers. Since this, a simi- 

 lar exhibition is annually held in Philadelphia, Boston, &c. 



