CHAPTER X 



THE YORKSHIRE 



The Most Popular of All Birds of Position. 



No ONE I presume would venture to dispute that of all 

 canaries the Yorkshire is the most graceful, and because 

 of this it may claim to be the most popular and most 

 widely bred of any member of the canary family. Fifty 

 years ago the Yorkshire canary was scarcely known 

 outside the borders of the county after which it is named, 

 and it is only between sixty and seventy years ago the 

 breed was formed. The early specimens were produced 

 by crossing the common canary with the Lancashire, 

 aud the birds were judged principally for size and feather, 

 the three chief points aimed at by the early breeders being 

 length, quaUty of feather, and colour. To improve the 

 latter the Norwich was introduced. Then came the idea 

 of slimness and style, and in the early 'seventies the 

 Belgian was used to give birds of finer proportion and 

 nerve. These properties having been secured, the Lan- 

 cashire was again used by some breeders and the birds 

 become rather coarse and lost much of the fineness which 

 they had obtained from the Belgian. This caused another 

 reaction. There was an outcry against big, feathery 

 birds that were being shown, and once more the Belgian 

 was used to fine down the big bodies, heavy heads, over- 

 hanging brows, coarse feather and bad carriage which 

 the too free use of the Lancashire had brought about 



The Founding of the Yorkshire Union. 



In 1889 a series of conferences were held which led to 

 the formation of the Yorkshire Union of Ornithologica 

 Societies, and the drawing up of a complete set of standards 



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