CANARIES 225 



The Scotch Fancy is similar to the Belgian Canary, 

 with the body strongly curved instead of straight. The 

 tail follows the curve of the body, so that when the bird is 

 in position the extended head and the tip of the tail are not 

 far out of the same vertical line. The legs appear to grasp 

 the perch from behind, rather than from above, giving the 

 bird a curious air of determination to hang on in spite 

 of attempts to push him off. Scotch Fancies are still very 

 popular in Scotland, and a few are bred here. Color is not 

 sought so eagerly in this breed as in some others. 



We now come to the two canary breeds in which color is 

 of paramount importance — the Lizard and the London 

 Fancy. These two breeds undoubtedly are closely allied, 

 and when in nest plumage resemble each other almost ex- 

 actly. After the molt, however, they are very distinct. 

 Both are of the Common Canary type in body. 



The Lizard Canary occurs in two forms : the Gold, cor- 

 responding to yellow, and the Silver, bearing the same rela- 

 tion to buff. In the Gold Lizard the ground color above 

 is a soft brown, each feather having a black center and 

 yellow margin. The spangles thus formed must be clear 

 and distinct, and cover the bird's back in straight lines. The 

 flights and tail are black, edged with yellow. The crown, 

 to a line through the center of the eye, is clear yellow, the 

 upper lid remaining dark. This cap must be evenly cut, 

 any wandering of light or dark feathers being considered 

 a serious blemish. The underparts are rich yellow, with 

 an indication of spangling at the sides. 



The Silver Lizard is similar in pattern, but the ground 

 color is gray, not brown, the edgings are white, and the 

 cap is pale buff. The legs and beak in each variety are dark. 

 It is common practice to color feed Lizards, the richness of 

 their plumage being much enhanced. 



In breeding Lizards, it is customary to pair Gold with 



