328 The Canary Book. 



be classified as I have suggested, and in a few years the 

 difficulties at present experienced will solve themselves, and I 

 have no doubt in the manner first suggested. 



In moulting crested birds for the show bench, artificial heat 

 is an essential, and it should be applied botli internally and 

 externally, in order to -fully develop the crest properties. By 

 internally, I mean by cayenne feeding, and by externally, to 

 being moulted in a room at a temperature of not less than 

 60 deg., nor more than 70 deg. 



Where the Lancashire cross is freely used it is of import- 

 ance to breed from green or heavily variegated birds on one 

 side, otherwise grey or clear crests will predominate, and they 

 are of much less intrinsic value than dark ones, however good 

 they may be in size and quality. 



In mixing up two varieties of birds, such as the Norwich 

 and Lancashire varieties, where many of the chief features 

 are widely divergent, such as type, colour, and feather, to 

 create an improved breed there are always a number of 

 difficulties to be overcome, and it takes a long time to dis- 

 cover where the improvements are to be continued or diver- 

 sified to suit the classification at shows and the views of 

 particular judges. An occasional cross with double crests is 

 believed by many to be a good method of increasing 1 the size 

 and fullness of the crests, but it has so many drawbacks 

 that I do not as a rule advocate it. 



Too many mop crests result, and some of them stand up 

 as defiantly as the quills on an enraged porcupine, and to 

 breed this out you must have recourse to plain-head blood, 

 so that the supposed advantages to be gained are somewhat 

 problematical in cases of this sort. Occasionally a good result 

 is obtained, but this is only the exception and not the rule. 

 I prefer to use plain-heads bred from two crested birds ; 

 these are undoubtedly an acquisition for breeding purposes. 



If you desire to breed high-class birds of this kind you 

 must be very particular about the plain-heads; the crested 

 birds there is no difficulty about, for good crests are not 

 produced from inferior birds. There is a great outcry for 



