The First Cayenne-Fed Birds. 8 1 



rise and fall cf the money market, it would be next to impossible for intelligent men to grope in 

 the dark as we did ; but we are giving a true account of Canary society as we found it ten years 

 ago, when some who ought to have known better persistently followed out the questionable policy 

 of preaching breed, all the while taking infinite pains to conceal the necessary adjunct, y?^.:/. The 

 line of policy, therefore, adopted by the discoverer of the new thing, the miraculous feed, was only 

 an extension of the system of morality in which he had been educated. By ignoring the existence 

 of the true agent, however, it will be seen that he laid himself open to the suspicion of foul play, 

 which was strengthened by the then remarkable feature of his birds being, as we have already said, 

 two colours — not two shades of one and the same colour, mark, but, as was asserted, two distinct 

 colours, viz., yellow and a shade of green, which it was at once affirmed was the consequence of 

 unskilful dyeing. And really it looked funny. Fanciers who knew that the best show-birds were 

 the exceptional specimens selected from large numbers, and who were content to produce one or 

 two in a season, would not have it at any price that a dozen could come out of one breeding-room, 

 and from the same pair of birds in one year, much less five or six stars out of one nest, as was 

 alleged of these extraordinary specimens. But the existence of the two colours on the same bird 

 was the pill no one would swallow, and the assumed evidence of fraud. Every breeder, however, 

 now knows that this appearance arose simply from the presence of feathers which had grown before 

 the birds had been put on the colour-producing diet, which, even in the very best specimens, appear 

 absolutely green beside the rich, ruddy orange now so common. But our friend in Sutton-in- 

 Ashfield kept his own counsel, and was content to sit and grin and bear the sneers of a virtuous 

 world, strong in his own integrity. We have said this occurred in 1 871; but we have reason to 

 believe that birds fed in this way had been exhibited one or two years in succession at one of our 

 largest shows, and had been disqualified on the ground of being artificially coloured by means of out- 

 ward applications, and that the original discoverer still pocketed the opprobrium and bided his time. 

 Our own introduction to these birds was at Cheltenham, where we were judging the same year. 

 At that time their fame had not reached us, but one or two of them were sent to Cheltenham, and 

 one we well remember, a Heavily Variegated Buff bird, beat a large class. We were attracted by 

 its extraordinarily rich colour, which fairly took away our breath ; but an examination showed us sure 

 indications of its genuineness, and we gave our award unhesitatingly. Shortly afterwards a show was 

 held at which we were solicited to exhibit. The usual clause in the rules that " all specimens shall 

 be bond fide the property of the exhibitor," was purposely expunged, and a silver cup held out as 

 an inducement for large entries ; and six of the now notorious Sutton-in-Ashfield birds appeared 

 in the catalogue in our name. Some of our best friends, and one in particular whose name will 

 appear presently — a gentleman who subsequently became the champion of the new school, and who, 

 with us, fought its battle and won — severely censured us for having anything to do with these 

 dangerous birds. The judges, however, were satisfied with them, and they were duly gazetted 

 winners. Then came the denoicement. The committee, in the fulness of their zeal, tested (?) them 

 in a way perfectly unjustifiable, literally scrubbing off the web of the feathers in one bird's tail, 

 and leaving it with twelve almost naked quills ; and shortly after charged us formally with having 

 exhibited painted birds, at the same time producing, as evidence, a handkerchief which was alleged 

 to be stained with the colouring matter from this mutilated tail. It is not necessary to refer to 

 the amusing incidents of the protest, but the following copy of a certificate we obtained from an 

 analytical chemist to whose examination we submitted the birds will speak for itself: — 



'^^°^'^'^ 226, High Street, Sunderland. 



There is not the least trace of a pigment or foreign colouring matter of any kind on any of the feathers I took from the bird* 

 nmubered respectively I, 2, and 3. John J. Nicholson, F.C.S. 



IX 



