350 The Canary Book. 



by the admirers of these birds. Good and robust health and 

 fine condition are essential points in this variety. 



There are clear and marked birds among the Border 

 Fancy, but type and quality overrule markings, however per- 

 fect the latter may be ; and, according to the rules of judging 

 this variety, a bird possessing superior shape, feather, and 

 style, would in a class for " any variety " of this breed, be 

 placed before a perfect evenly-marked specimen which lacked 

 in a marked degree the qualities named, and even in a class 

 of marked birds, an unevenly- marked bird would not vie with 

 an evenly-marked one on the same grounds which to me 

 is rather enigmatical as even-marking is more difficult to 

 obtain by far than the features which the fanciers of these 

 birds so much esteem. For instance, a bird with even wings 

 and one eye-mark, or with two uneven eye-markings and one 

 wing-mark, would be placed before a bird with evenly well- 

 balanced eye- and wing-markings, providing the contour and 

 tout ensemble of the former somewhat exceeded the latter. 

 This I consider rather hypercritical. Evenly- and unevenly- 

 marked birds are, as a rule, shown in separate classes, and 

 when exhibited together all the points should be separately 

 considered, and full allowance made for markings as well as 

 form and other properties. 



This breed has evidently been originated by crossing the 

 common German canary with the Norwich and Yorkshire 

 fancy, selecting stock birds possessing the points sought after, 

 and by careful and judicious breeding for a number of years 

 the variety has been perfected. 



The standard for judging may be summarised as follows: 



Points. 



Shape, style, and general contour 35 



Colour, for purity, softness, and delicacy ; and feather ; 



for soundness and silkiness in texture 15 



Head and beak 10 



Tail 10 



Wings 10 



Legs and feet 5 



Condition and health 15 



Total... .. 100 



