The Modern Crested Norwich. 329 



birds with broad skulls and plenty of feather, but you must 

 have the right sort of blood as well. I have bred some 

 splendid birds from hens of medium size, and some with 

 rather small heads, but I knew that they possessed the blood 

 of several prize winners. I certainly like length of feather 

 on the head, and good drooping eye-brows are indicative of 

 high breeding, but I am not such a stickler for long body 

 feather as some fanciers are; at the same time I like dense 

 feathering of the body. Some of the best crested birds I 

 have ever seen were produced from parents with medium 

 length of body feathers and long dense head coverings; 

 whilst some of the worst crested birds I have bred were the pro- 

 duce of birds with immense body feather, both long and profuse, 

 so that there is no golden rule to be followed on these lines 

 alone. Blood, gentlemen, blood ! Nothing tells like it, whether 

 in breeding birds or animals, and unless you can get the 

 right strains to breed from, all your efforts will result in 

 nought. I not only recommend the best - known strains to 

 breed from, but good specimens must likewise be obtained. 

 To ensure success this rule must be closely followed. Moral: 

 Never dispose of your best birds whatever the temptation 

 may be. 



This rule rigorously carried out was the secret of the suc- 

 cess of Robert Ritchie, of .Darlington, who for years carried 

 all before him in the Lizard classes, and only when illness 

 and misfortune overtook him, and he let his best birds go, 

 did he lose his position as a successful exhibitor. 



It is customary before pairing crested birds to cut the 

 crest and tail feathers short, and to thin the long feathers 

 which surround the vent. I think it a commendable prac- 

 tice to cut the crests of show birds as soon as the show 

 season is over in order to preserve the sight, as I am certain 

 that long side crests, covering the eyes, is the cause of birds 

 losing their sight from cataract. 



A really good crest cannot be covered by a florin, and it 

 should be of deep sound colour, with a blackish-green margin, 

 a,nd a black mid-rib, commonly known as a veined crest. 



