THE CRESTED NORWICH 197 



well-balanced markings the Crest fancy would regain 

 its old vigour and increase its followers. It is useless 

 to allow things to go on in the manner they are going. 

 The Club and the Fancy are both much weaker than they 

 used to be, and the birds are gradually decreasing in 

 numbers as are the shows which now provide classes for 

 Crests. Forty years ago every show gave classes for the 

 breed. To-day there are not more than about a dozen 

 shows in the whole country that give classification for 

 the " King of the Fancy." At the moment we have 

 a Crested Canary Club, in the old days we had not. 

 This leads one to ask what has the Crested Canary Club 

 done for the Crest Fancy ? 



Bringing Back the Yellow Crest. 



I have said that double-buffing has destroyed the 

 Yellows, and did Crests breeders follow the orthodox 

 method of breeding canaries they would come back 

 again in all their glory. What is needed to-day is more 

 sport, and less commercialism in the fancy. Love of the 

 hobby and not £ s. d. is what should hold sway in the 

 fancy. Those who would like to see the Yellow Crests 

 occupying their old position on the show bench should 

 set resolutely about the task of producing the birds, and 

 inducing the Crested Canary Club to give special encourage- 

 ment to their breeding, not only by seeing that classifica- 

 tion is provided, but by instructing its judges to pay 

 more attention to all-round properties and less to mere 

 sign of crest. 



At the moment there would be a difficulty in finding 

 Yellow Crests and Crest-breds as they are few in number, 

 still they are to be found. In starting to breed with the 

 idea of founding a strain I should prefer to use 3^ellow 

 cocks and buff hens. In this way I should expect to 

 secure more colour and lose little in the way of crest. 



Further, I should like the yellow cocks to be Crest- 

 breds. As to whether they were clear-bodied, variegated, 

 marked or green I should prefer them variegated or green. 

 The first and chief thing would be getting the yellow 

 blood into the breed again. If I could not find a Yellow 

 Crest, or Crest-bred I should search round for a big thump- 



