The London Fancy. 347 



open wire cage, with a very thin calico cover made to fit over 

 it and tie down with strings at the bottom, as it answers all 

 the requirements of the first -named cage, with the additional 

 advantage of furnishing the occupant with more ventilation 

 and fresh air. 



CLASSES. There are only two classes of this variety of 

 canary, viz., jonques and mealies (yellows and buffs). 



POINTS. The chief features in the London Fancy canaries 

 are their deep, bright, luxuriant plumage, their beautiful 

 black wing-markings and black tails, and the fine, soft, silky 

 appearance of their feathers. The jonque birds should be 

 almost orange in tint throughout the body feathers, with a 

 silvery luminous appearance pervading the outer surface; but 

 this appearance, which is commonly called the "meal," is 

 more conspicuous upon the buff birds, or "mealies," as they 

 are usually termed. 



In size these birds vary from 4fin. to 5|in. in length. The 

 head should be large, and the cap broad and expansive, and 

 very rich in colour and free from any admixture of grey, or spots 

 of a dark colour ; the neck rather short and thick ; the chest 

 broad and full ; the back broad, and slightly curved outwardly ; 

 the legs short, and the position semi-erect. A great many of the 

 London fanciers regard the body colour as of the first import- 

 ance, and this is looked for more particularly on the crown of 

 the head, or, as it is usually styled, the " cap ;" also upon the 

 breast and throat, which must be very fully developed, like- 

 wise upon the scapulars or shoulder blades, and the rump; the 

 colour must be pure and brilliant, and as free from tinge or 

 mottle as possible, and even and regular, more especially on 

 the "cap" and breast; the wings and tails, too, are of great 

 importance, and to produce them free from that dingy, dusky, 

 grizzly-looking hue, is probably the most difficult task a breeder 

 has to encounter, and hence I think that too little weight is 

 frequently attached to this very important feature in a good 

 bird. The large feathers in the wings, and also the tail 

 feathers, should be as nearly jet black as they can be got, with 

 a nice gloss upon them; they should be entirely free from 



