2Q4.' The Canary Book. 



a rule, will be bald at the back of the head, or have mop crests, 

 which is a great disfigurement in either case. The majority of 

 crested birds are more or less bald behind the crest; but by 

 breeding two buffs together you will soon overcome this defect. 



A crested bird can be identified when it is only a few days old 

 by its peculiar formation of the head, and a very small smooth 

 spot is generally visible on the top and at the back of the 

 cranium. As soon as you discover that you have an unusually 

 good crested bird, place it by itself as soon as it is able to feed 

 on seed; and be sure that the cage in which you place it is 

 provided with good sized holes to get its head through when 

 feeding or drinking, or the crest will get chafed and disfigured. 

 After a crested bird has moulted it should not be placed with 

 another bird until the show season is over, because the other 

 bird is pretty certain to pluck its crest, and the feathers will not 

 grow again until the bird moults. 



Before concluding this subject, I would strenuously advise 

 those who are devoted to the Norwich Fancy canaries not to 

 neglect the methods of crossing pointed out to improve the 

 breed, as I am convinced that it will in the end prove more satis- 

 factory than the newly-discovered system of feeding to produce 

 high colour, and which, I think, must of necessity be attended 

 with baneful results, as such a powerful stimulant as cayenne 

 pepper cannot but be injurious to the health of canaries. See 

 " The Influence of various Ingredients on the Colour of Canaries 

 and their Hybrids " (p. 171). 



CLASSES. The clear Norwich canaries, as well as the evenly 

 marked, the crested, the ticked, the green, and the unevenly 

 marked, are each divided into two separate classes, i.e., jonques 

 and mealies. 



In the Clear varieties there are the jonques and mealies, better 

 known as yellows and buffs, but " orange " would be a much 

 more appropriate and fitting name for the first-mentioned 

 variety, and " orange mealies " for the latter, as these appella- 

 tions are more truly descriptive of their real colours. 



There are only two classes for Evenly -marked birds, which are 

 arranged thus: Evenly marked yellow Norwich canaries and 

 evenly-marked buff Norwich canaries, and these may consist of 



