224 CANARIES 



it has been crossed. I have known Norwich birds bred 

 pure for five generations to throw back to the Cinnamon 

 that had been introduced before that time, and on one 

 occasion a strain of Crests in which no Cinnamon had been 

 known for ten years threw some Cinnamon-marked and 

 Crested birds. 



Twenty to twenty-five years ago we had some very 

 fine Cinnamon Crests, but the variety seems to have died 

 out, and it is years since I saw a Cinnamon Crest. Men 

 who had devoted years to the breeding of Cinnamon 

 Crests became tired because the judges showed so httle 

 appreciation of their work. The greatest breeder of 

 Cinnamon Crests we ever had was Mr. Tom King, of 

 Cheltenham, who for quite thirty years struggled with 

 this variety. Other noted breeders who strove to produce 

 these charming birds were the late G. R. Kennerley, 

 H. Toms, and C. L. Quinton. It is a great pity the variety 

 has died out. 



About thirty years ago the men of Lancashire and 

 Yorkshire, who at that time held the strongest studs, 

 introduced Crest blood into their strains to increase the 

 size. They certainly secured size, but at the expense 

 of colour and feather, and after a few years the breed 

 began to lose its popularity on the show bench. In 

 recent years some of the lost ground has been recovered, 

 and to-day our birds have better colour and finer quality 

 of feather. 



How TO BREED CINNAMONS. 



Those who would breed high-class Cinnamons should 

 select birds of good size. In shape they should resemble 

 the Norwich variety. They should be sound in colour ; 

 any bird showing a green shade in its plumage should be 

 avoided. Quality of feather also must be had, especially 

 in hens. I have proved over and over again that high 

 quaUty of feather is transmitted by the hen in a far 

 higher degree than by the cock. For feather I Uke to 

 breed from buff cocks and yellow hens, and it will generally 

 be found that the best birds are produced in this manner. 

 Mr. C. E. Silk, a very old Cinnamon breeder, once remarked 

 to me, " You can do so much more with a buff cock than 

 a yellow." The buff cocks prevent the size from falling 



