THE BORDER FANCY 233 



colour. In all your matings strive to have your hens 

 as near the standard as possible. The man who does 

 this will have far more success than he who places most 

 reliance on his cocks. 



Never double-buff or double-yellow unless there is 

 absolute necessity. Double-bufhng is apt to make the 

 progeny too thick in body and waist and double-yellowing 

 tends to the production of thin necks, pointed chests and 

 frills. There are cases when one or the other may be 

 useful. If a strain is producing birds that are too stout, 

 double-yellowing will give some finer-drawn birds which, 

 if judiciously used, will correct the tendency to stoutness. 

 On the other hand, if a stud is inclined to produce thin, 

 whippety birds with hollow necks and pointed chests, 

 a double-buff cross will correct it. 



Those dainty Even-Marks. 



Evenly marked Borders are exceedingly pretty and 

 dainty, and are much valued. Therefore most breeder? 

 of the variety try their hand at producing them, with 

 more or less success. Good specimens are not plentiful, 

 but their production is receiving remarkable attention. 

 The evenly marked Yorkshire has been pressed into 

 service, that variety possessing marks in a high degree, 

 Yorkshire and Lancashire contain many fanciers of 

 even marks, and breeding persistently from generation 

 to generation in one direction has tended to produce 

 this result. Cinnamon blood is undoubtedly the backbone 

 of marks, its plasticity and tendency to produce accurate 

 markings being known to the sapient ones ; its virtues 

 are inestimable in that way. So persistently and con- 

 sistently have Border breeders followed breeding for even 

 marks that there are now more even-marked Border 

 Fancy canaries than ever, and they outnumber the 

 even-marked birds of all other breeds. The high degree 

 of excellence attained is really cistonishing. 



There are a few even-marked birds that are of good 

 type and style, also in quality do they approach the ideal, 

 but on the whole the marked birds fail to the clears and 

 ticks in standard properties. It is all very well to talk 

 about type and quality in evenly marked birds, but how 



