Crest the Promixent Feature. 107 



that is no element in its value, and, consequently, the bird is not bred as a variety. A grey crest is 

 neither dark nor clear, but is composed of a mixture of dark and light feathers, or of feathers having 

 a dark midrib and light edge, which, in a Buff bird, has a very pleasing effect. However, its colour is 

 of no worth, from a show point of view, though we think it worth describing. It is rather remarkable 

 the majority of Grey-crested Canaries are buff, and it is equally remarkable that, as a class, 

 they contain among them a greater number of good " all round " crests than almost any other. 

 Extraordinary merit is, perhaps, not met with among them, and we do not remember ever seeing 

 such a development of feather in a grey crest as is not common among some schools of dark 

 Greens ; but for fair average quahty and a little bit extra, commend us to the Grey-crested 

 Norwich bird. There is nothing extraordinary about it to call for special description, and when 

 we add that it has a clean body, and also most generally " blows " clear in the flue, it will be seen 

 that it is very nearly allied to the last on our list, the Clear-crested bird, which is seldom found 

 having any merit at all, though we see no reason why a Clear-crested strain having good crest 

 properties should not be more cultivated. Shape and feather and every requisite could be 

 had as well in the Clear bird as in any other, but the want of contrast in colour is doubtless the 

 cause of no decided steps having been taken in this direction. In the giant family of the Coppy, 

 a clear crest is the highest point of perfection, and no one who has seen the best specimens of 

 this breed can have any doubt as to the air of refinement the clear crest gives. There are now 

 and then really beautiful examples of birds of this kind seen among the Norwich crests, and 

 we think there is a fair field for the exercise of the breeder's skill waiting to be cultivated. 



We have left the Self-coloured Green standing out in the cold, because we have a difficulty in 

 assigning him his true place. Probably it is strictly immediately behind the Heavily Variegated, 

 which is, as will now be thoroughly understood, the first remove from the Green. The self-coloured 

 bird is a most valuable acquisition in the breeding-room, even if his sober appearance renders him 

 not the most attractive member of the show-bench. In him slumber a host of good properties ; 

 and when mated, as we shall presently advise, he becomes the foundation of the excellencies of 

 which the bird at the head of our list is the topmost stone. But he is not an exhibition bird, and 

 unless possessing superlative merit in crest (for nothing else can serve him), generally remains 

 where many other sober folks whose gifts don't consist of good looks and attractive dress are 

 constrained to stay — at home. 



Throughout the whole of these classes the prominent idea is crest, and after connecting it 

 with the two forms with which we first coupled it, the fancier entirely ignores the value of such 

 marking as remains. He groups the classes (c) and (d) into one, and sees merit in them only in so 

 far as it is connected with crest development. With a fancier's innate love for marking, he cannot 

 but accord to it its value when of the right kind, but would rather combine still further and unite 

 the two Marked and the Variegated, than subtract one iota from their crest- worth by recognising any 

 body-marks in them as superior to it. His creed is crest and marking, if possible, but the former 

 at any cost. He does not assign to these minor points the values they carry when separate from 

 crest, but accepts their perfect development, when they fall to his lot, rather as fortunate adjuncts 

 than the results of systematic breeding. Superior crest formation is so rare that he cannot afford 

 to risk the loss of one important structural point in an endeavour to fix some other foreign to it. 

 Marking is not his sumvmm honwn, and he does not care to arrange his classes to meet its 

 varied claims after the demands of one perfect form have been satisfied. If crest and marking 

 went hand in hand, each progressing towards perfection equally with the other, the case would 

 be different ; but they do not : it is therefore needless to elaborate an extended classification, 

 based op any erroneous assumption that they do so. The frequent awarding of " extra " prizes, 



