288 The Canary Book. 



such birds as you need. You will require both clear and marked 

 birds to breed clear birds frcm, and rather heavily -marked birds 

 too ; indeed, one entirely green, if of good colour and quality, is 

 by no means to be despised. I think I cannot do better than 

 relate here the method of crossing pursued and recommended by 

 one of the oldest, most experienced and successful breeders in 

 Norwich, after which I will detail my own experience. The 

 method recommended by the breeder referred to is as follows : 

 First year : Put a clear yellow cock with a marked buff hen ; be 

 sure that she is bred from greens (pied birds) and not from 

 ' fancy" by the last-mentioned term he explains that he means 

 Lizard canaries " because," says he, " Fancy must not be used 

 except at the proper time, as I shall tell you." Second year : He 

 recommends the young birds (" clears ") to be crossed with clear 

 birds from a second pair mated in precisely the same way as the 

 first-named pair. Third year: He says, "Take the best clear 

 birds bred from the last cross and pair with a clear bird bred 

 from the ' Fancy,' and you will find the best birds are got from 

 this cross;" he explains that, to obtain a bird such as he 

 describes, you must put a Norwich Fancy and a Lizard canary 

 together; from the produce of this pair you are to select those 

 birds which are the least marked, and pair them with the 

 Norwich Fancy again I presume with clear birds of the last- 

 named variety ,'but he does not say so. He adds, " In three years 

 you will breed clears." "In selecting the final pair to breed 

 from they should blow clear all over ; the produce of this cross 

 are only for show, and are of no use to breed from." He adds 

 significantly, " No honest man would sell you birds bred thus to 

 breed from again, nor would I buy a bird to cross with except I 

 knew the man I bought it of." See "A Caution" to beginners 

 in buying birds (p. 200). 



My own system of breeding clear Norwich canaries is as 

 follows : First year : Put a London Fancy and a Lizard canary 

 together. At the same time mate two clear buff Norwich 

 canaries, and likewise two clear jonques, or yellows ; both the 

 last-named pairs must blow clear all over, be close in feather, 

 and full of quality. This makes three pairs of birds in all. 

 To hope to be successful as an exhibitor, it would be neces- 



