THE ROLLER CANARY 47 
bass, etc., a proof that deep flutes can be cultivated along- 
side the Gluck tours. 
“The fears of easy degeneration of the Gluck tours 
I do not share ; it may happen, but not any more often 
than with other tours, and, in my opinion, the appear- 
ance of Chop can, at any rate, only take place after 
several years, and if the breeder omits to be careful in 
his selection of birds for breeding purposes. 
“With the best strains, I have not discovered a single 
case of degeneration, although I have kept in close touch 
with them for seven years. Neither have I found that 
a change of diet, for instance, a course of stimulating 
food, has had any lasting influence on the delivery of 
the Gluck tours. To be sure, the tours were not so soft 
at breeding time, but this is so with all the tours, 
especially as regards bass. When breeding time is over, 
or after the moult, the tours, with very few exceptions, 
will resume their former softness and fullness. 
WHEN DETERIORATION SETS IN 
“When deterioration in a Gluck strain sets in it 
is almost always on account of too close in-breeding 
(father to daughter, etc.); this re-acts more in Gluck than 
in any other tour. It is certainly advisable not to over- 
look bringing in well-selected fresh blood after a certain 
time, both in Gluck and Water strains, otherwise ugly 
variations will creep in. 
‘““We ought not to sacrifice a tour of acknowledged 
merit for another tour, but, on the contrary, we should 
strive to uphold all these good tours and raise their 
standard of excellency, in spite of the many hindrances 
that have to be overcome on the way.” 
