240 The Canary Book. 



shoulders to the tail ; chest full and well formed ; waist long and 

 fine; legs long in the shank, with moderately long thighs; tail 

 long, thin, and compact, well " circled," and very free (" souple"). 

 The form of the bird from the crown of the head to the tip of 

 the tail ought to resemble as near as possible the segment of a 

 circle. The tail, which is considered to constitute one of its 

 chief points of admiration, must be supple as supple can be, and 

 should not exhibit the slightest symptom of stiffness ; it should 

 be carried well under the perch without touching it. The legs 

 ought to be set far back, and kept well under the bird. The 

 carriage must be bold, free, and majestic, without restraint, and 

 with a certain air of intrepidity about it. 



The markings most admired by Scotchmen are, singular to 

 say, those which are almost universally despised by all English 

 fanciers, viz. : An entirely dark head and collar, a breast mark 

 (which, to be deemed really good, must resemble in form a 

 horse's shoe), heavy wing markings, and a feather or two on each 

 side of the tail; but markings go for very little, and only 

 count when two birds are equal in other points. In a case of 

 this kind the markings would be had recourse to to kick the 

 beam ; but a dark, badly-marked bird would be placed before a 

 perfectly marked one, if the latter was inferior in " style " to the 

 former. 



Next to form of body, which is one of the great essential 

 characteristics in a good Don, come style and carnage, 

 and a well-formed, free tail ; for if a good bird possesses the 

 former and lacks the latter qualities, he is looked upon pretty 

 much in the same light as a woman would be if she were of good 

 figure and had thoroughly classical features, but was wanting in 

 vivacity without warmth, soul, inspiration a mere cold, 

 phlegmatic beauty. A bird to be completely attractive must 

 be full of life and action, which gives a charm and brilliancy to 

 its external appearance that is lost without it this is style when 

 combined with correct features. 



TRAVELLING. These birds are commonly trained to pass 

 rather briskly from perch to perch by a motion of the hand. 

 This is denoted " travelling," and unless a bird is a rapid and 

 graceful mover its chances as a prize-taker are sure to be greatly 



