The London Fancy. 343 



season I matched one of these birds with a clear Norwich canary; 

 the result of this cross was, to all intents and purposes, well- 

 bred Norwich canaries, but all were more or less marked two 

 slightly, whilst the third, a hen, was a beautiful buff, with evenly- 

 marked wings and clear tail, no eye markings. I showed her in 

 an evenly-marked Norwich class twice, and she was very highly 

 commended at one show and third prize at the other. When she 

 moulted the next season her wing-markings disappeared, leaving 

 nothing beyond a grizzly trace of their former loveliness. I 

 coupled this hen with a ticked Norwich cock, and several of 

 their produce were marked about the head and neck, but on 

 moulting the marks vanished almost entirely. The colour of 

 the young birds from the last cross was remarkable for its 

 depth and richness of hue. I mention this circumstance to 

 show that the markings in these birds disappeared in the same 

 manner as the dark feathers do in the London Fancy variety, 

 and were changed for a clear, or almost clear plumage. 



An acquaintance of mine, several years ago, bred a nest of 

 young birds between a London Fancy and a Lizard canary; 

 the offspring of this cross he mated, one with a London Fancy 

 and the other two with Lizards. He continued his experiments 

 for four or five years, putting those bred from the Lizard cross 

 with Lizards again, and those from the London Fancy cross 

 with that breed again, so that in the end no trace of the cross 

 breeding was discernible on either side ; in fact, he always 

 contended that it greatly improved both breeds. I am not so 

 sure about the Lizards, although I know that some of the birds 

 so bred distinguished themselves at some of our best shows ; to 

 my thinking, they were too light in body colour, and the 

 spangling not so regular and fine in finish as a good Lizard 

 ought to be. Another fact in confirmation of my theory, and I 

 have done. I once purchased a good yellow Lizard cock from 

 a noted breeder of these birds ; he was about eighteen months 

 old when I got him, and in fine feather. I bred from him 

 several years in succession, and had him until he was eight 

 years old, when he died ; every time this bird moulted he 

 became lighter and clearer in colour, until, at the age of seven 



