30 CANARIES AND CAGE-BIRDS. 



average class. The Gold-spangled Lizard, when well peppered, is a beautiful speci- 

 men of this class of feeding, and greatly admired. The handsome, gay spangles 

 stand out from the rich red in bold relief ; and the cap, when fully colored, sets 

 the bird off to great advantage. Why these three classes of birds should show the 

 effects of the pepper more than any others, cannot be easily accounted for. We 

 often hear the complaint, " I have fed the pepper as directed, but my bird isn't so 

 red as the ones you show." There maybe many causes in explanation of this. 

 The cayenne may not have been properly administered, or may be of poor quality : 

 and, chief of all, perhaps the bird is not capable of showing the effects of it. 

 Sometimes, in a nest of three or four birds, one of them will show no color what- 

 ever when fed on pepper-diet. Why does this happen? Something must be wrono- 

 in the circulation of the blood which will not transmit color. This is the only expla- 

 nation which at present can be given : perhaps the future will clearly reveal the 

 causes. If you have tried your bird on the food, and do not succeed in coloring, the 

 cause may lie in the fact that he cannot be turned red. The proper colors, then, to 

 select for coloring, are the deep yellow, the deeper the color naturally, the deeper 

 artificially. This is the rule, which, like all others, would not be a rule unless 

 there were exceptions to it. The deep yellow, with slight markings, also show 

 handsomely: the deep-yellow body and green crest also show well. The dark- 

 green birds are not so suitable for coloring, the dark shade of the body being an 

 unpleasant contrast to the red. Buff, or mealy, birds, when well colored, show to 

 splendid advantage ; exhibiting the brilliant red, which is frosted by the gray or 

 light natural colors. In no class of Canaries do the females exhibit the depth of 

 color which the males possess, therefore the colors are never so brilliant. The 

 female Canaries are rarely colored, as they are mostly used for exhibition or aviary 

 purposes. 



In song, the Cayenne Norwich ranks as high as any of the English birds ; and, the 

 pepper being a throat invigorator, his voice is remarkably clear, and free from any 

 hoarseness. Like the other classes of English Canaries, he is exceedingly tough, 

 and can withstand a great degree of cold. This is not because of the amount of 

 pepper he has concealed beneath his jacket, as many would suppose, but because 

 his English breeding makes him so. He starts out in life a remarkably healthy 

 bird, and so continues if proper attention is paid him. He may be fed annually 

 on the pepper-food, as the moulting season comes around ; and some of them seem 

 to look forward to the feeding-time as anxiously as a boy to Fourth of July. If 

 properly fed, he will preserve his brilliant coat until he has run his natural course. 

 It is safe to say, that, for a beautiful cage-bird, he cannot be surpassed by even the 

 most brilliant songsters of the tropics. 



THE AMERICAN CANARY. 



This variety cannot be traced to any distinct origin. He descends from an 

 astonishing number of classes ; and his ancestors, in most cases, lay about as much 

 claim to thorough breeding and nobility of race as the traditional ydlow dog. 

 The German and English breeders are eager to rear the highest classes of finely 

 bred birds, but their great enthusiasm is never felt by the American bird-fancier. 



