CHAPTER XV 



THE LIZARD 



A Unique and Beautiful Old-Time Breed. 



No ONE with an eye for the beautiful can look upon a 

 high-class Lizard canary and not be charmed by its 

 wonderful spangUng and colour. It is one of the oldest 

 breeds known to the EngUsh fancy, its history going 

 back a couple of hundred years. Judging from an old 

 book pubhshed early in the eighteenth centiury, it was 

 then known, and was spoken of as the " spangle back." 

 When or how it first became known as the Lizard there 

 are no records. There is evidence that in Lancashire 

 150 years ago they were known as " mooned 'uns." 

 It is said that the Huguenots who were great canary 

 lovers bred these birds in the sixteenth century, and that 

 at that time they were known in Norwich, London, Not- 

 tingham, and Middlesborough, and from these places 

 spread all over the country, eventually so strongly 

 captivating the cotton workers of Lancashire that Roch- 

 dale, Oldham, Manchester, Stalybridge, Ashton, Warring 

 ton, Wigan and other towns became veritable strongholds 

 of the fancy. 



My own recollection of the breed goes back over fort}^ 

 years and in my time it was bred in Devon, Cornwall, 

 Kent, Surrey, Middlesex, Lincolnshire, Durham, and even 

 in Scotland a few admirers were to be found, whilst in 

 Lancashire and Derbyshire it was very largely bred. 

 To-day its breeders in Lancashire are few, whilst in 

 other parts of the country it is seldom seen. The reason 

 of its decline is difficult to fathom. It is urged by some 

 that it is due to the fact that it is a one-season bird, 

 by others it is said the faking that used to take place 

 led to its fall. It may be that both, or either, of these 



217 



