178 CANARIES 



What to avoid in Breeding. 



In selecting stock for breeding, one should avoid 

 Coppies in which the coppy or crest runs to a point over 

 the beak, is badly split aud tufted, badly centred, or 

 harsh and husky in feather. In the same way a Plain- 

 head that is narrow in front of the skull, and is scanty in 

 eyebrow, and skull feather should not be used. A Coppy 

 that is bald behind may be used if a very heavily feathered 

 Plainhead is mated to it. This is one of the chief points 

 in the Plainhead, and a bird is of little use for breeding 

 if it is at aU scanty in head feather. The head feather 

 when turned back ought to come completely over the 

 head and cover the beak, especially so when the division 

 is made in the centre of the skull, because that shows 

 the bird has a good front. A pinched back skull is 

 to be avoided, as is a thin or hollow neck. Narrow 

 shoulders are generally accompanied by bad wing carriage 

 and both are faults. Although slackness of feather is 

 a fault in a show bird, it should not condemn a bird in 

 the breeding room, because such a bird paired with a 

 mate that has good feather will possibly increase the 

 quantity of feather in the strain, and thus add to its 

 value. These heavily feathered birds are often most 

 useful as breeders. Birds that are short in leg and squatty 

 in carriage must not be used for breeding. 



What to look for in Stock Birds. 



Points that are essential in the breeding of exhibition 

 Lancashires are necessarily quite the opposite to the 

 faults of which I have been speaking. The ideal pair 

 would, of course, be the very best and most perfect pair 

 of exhibition birds one could find. As to which is the 

 yellow and which the buff it is immaterial. Let us 

 imagine an ideal pair — a fine, bold, yellow Plainhead 

 cock, a bird of great length and substance of body, with 

 massive head, neck, and shoulders, standing bold and 

 erect on a well-built lengthy pair of legs, with his wings 

 coming down evenly well over the root of the tail, and 

 the latter held firmly and straightly. In feather our 

 Plainhead must have heavy eyebrows and a good " turn- 

 back," that is heavy, dense, long, wide head feather, and 



