The Modern Plain-head Norwich. 311 



shows. Of course, it will be necessary to exercise care and 

 judgment in selecting your breeding stock ; broad-headed birds 

 showing too much eyebrow must be discarded ; symmetry, colour, 

 and compact tightly-feathered birds must be chosen, if you 

 expect to succeed in breeding prize specimens. The large- 

 headed, thick-set, long-feathered offshoots should be crossed 

 with Lancashire plain-heads, to obtain birds to show in the 

 crest-bred plain-heads ; but unless they have big, broad heads, 

 heavy drooping brows, deep broad chests and heavy shoulders, 

 ' with a profusion of body feather of good length, they will not 

 be suitable. 



Birds bred in this way are useful to cross with Cinnamon 

 birds to obtain size and shape, but it must not be overdone, 

 or you will lose too much colour, which, in my opinion, is 

 the greatest feature in a Cinnamon canary. As the Norwich 

 canary originated in the city of that name, the name is still 

 upheld, but the present type of bird owes its origin as much 

 or more to the* Yorkshire and Lancashire crosses than it 

 does to the bird so called. It is known that Norwich fanciers 

 and exhibitors have had to go to Yorkshire to obtain fresh 

 blood both for breeding and exhibiting this modern variety, 

 but this will only be for a limited period, for there are no 

 keener or more spirited fanciers of canaries in the world than 

 are to be found in Norwich. 



Some twenty-six years ago, I, with Messrs. Jno. R-utter, 

 Thos. Clark, C. J. Ayre, Geo. Shiel, Edwin Mills, W. Rogers, 

 Siiaiton Hall, and a few others, got up an open all-England 

 show in Sunderland, and I was much astonished to find that 

 Mr. Richard Mackley and Mr. G. Collinson came all the way 

 from Norwich with their show specimens; Mr. W. Walter, 

 from Winchester, Hants, and Mr. Howarth Ashton (with 

 his man, Jones), from Manchester. I made all the prelimi- 

 nary arrangements for this show up to the time of opening, 

 but being held at Christmas-time I could not see my way 

 clear to continue as acting secretary, and I tried to get Mr. 

 Mills to take my place. He objected, but said, "I can find 

 you a man that will do the work admirably, but he knows 



