CHAPTER XII. 



THE YORKSHIRE FANCY. 



THE bird fanciers in London, Norwich, Scotland, and other 

 towns and countries, each have a special and distinct variety of 

 canary of their own; and Yorkshiremen, actuated, no doubt, 

 with the laudable desire to aim at originality, and to emulate 

 the example set by their confreres, have attempted to establish a 

 variety of canaries peculiar to the county of " broad acres." 

 With this object in view, they have striven to produce a breed 

 of birds differing in some respects from all known varieties, and, 

 to some exten.t, their endeavours have been crowned with success. 

 At the present moment this breed of birds may be regarded 

 as being in its infancy, but no doubt in the course of a few more 

 years we shall see a marked progress and improvement in 

 them.* Improvement always takes a considerable time to 

 develop in anything appertaining to perfection a new variety 

 of any description, whether it be birds, animals, plants, flowers, 

 or what not, for in point of fact there is invariably a diversity 

 of opinion, even among those who are considered best able to 

 judge of their merits or demerits, as to what ought to constitute 

 an essential quality and what a disparagement ; and until these 

 differences are finally set at rest onward progress is sure to be 

 retarded. 



BREEDING. The Yorkshire Fancy birds are produced chiefly 

 by crossing the Belgian Fancy and some other varieties of 

 canaries together, such, for instance, as the Manchester Coppy, 



* Since the foregoing was written a marked improvement in the contour of these birds 

 has taken place. 



s 9! 



