Preparations for Breeding, 8^c. 103 



desirable. As an instance of the rule of contraries, it is 

 universally admitted that two mop-headed, or turned- 

 down-crested birds, will produce bald-pated oiFspring. 

 Why, I believe, is not understood. Of the truth of 

 this I cannot personally speak of my own knowledge, 

 never having made the experiment. However, whilst 

 adhering to the maxim of like producing like, it is only 

 fair to state the caution I received from the German 

 importer when I bought my green hen to match with a 

 cock of similar colour. " You do tink," said my in- 

 formant in quaint and broken English, " you do tink 

 to have green birds by pairing dis green hen with a 

 cock like her." " Certainly," I replied. " Well, me 

 do tink no such ting; me tink you will have clear 

 yellow ones." " Well," 1 rejoined, " we shall see ; at 

 all events I will try and make the experiment, for, 

 after all, there is nothing like personal experience in 

 such matters." Though I have not succeeded in rearing 

 any from the birds in question, yet we succeeded in 

 having several young birds hatched and reared until 

 they had fine feathers on their back, all of which were 

 exceedingly dark, and showed no approach to anything 

 like yellow. Mr. Adams in his ^Cage and Singing 

 Birds,' says good Lizards are obtained by matching a 

 strongly marked grey cock with a dark-splashed hen, and 

 if you put together a strong grey or green-coloured cock 

 with a clear mealy hen, you will most likely have what 

 are called cinnamon birds; the lightest tinted of this 

 variety are termed quakers ; and if you match a quaker 

 hen with a clear greenish cock, you get what is called 

 the dove canary^ from the soft, subdued colour of its 



