114 C A -VARIES AND CaGE-BiRDS. 



as regards the production of certain fancy points in feather, but we have to work with these 

 two distinct quaHties of material, which we cannot ahvays get. The one object we may be keeping 

 steadily in view may be rapidly assuming its required proportions ; but we require, from the time 

 of laying the foundation-stone, that the same property which we are seeking to develop shall be 

 present in the tivo birds we pair. This it may not be so difficult to find, but these birds must, as 

 a rule, be one hiff and the other yellow, and we have no guarantee that we shall find such in the 

 nests we have reared with such strict regard to the development of the fancy points sought. We 

 have to search for these points in two different /^rwi- of birds, and we have no rule by which we 

 can determine the way to produce these two forms with anything like certainty. The success of 

 our operations may depend upon an even balancing power in the direction of Buffs and Yellows 

 throughout our nests ; but the result of the season's breeding may show such a marked difference 

 in their respective numbers as to puzzle us how to pair them the next season without imminent 

 risk of injury to feather, which, in the Canary, is a serious matter, because many of the fancy 

 points sought depend upon that display of feather caused by the union of Jonque and Mealy, which 

 would be ruined by compulsory pairing in any other way. The balance is, we admit, pretty 

 evenly maintained ; but, from the nature of things, it is plain where the difficulty lies, and it is one 

 which is at the root of much of the want of success of some breeders who will import fresh blood, 

 Jonque or Mealy, at any time to stop a gap. 



The pairing of Jonque and Mealy also affects colour most materially. The Jonque is 

 undoubtedly the fountain of colour, for though good Buffs frequently display it in great purity, yet 

 the tendency of an ordinary Buff is in the opposite direction. This is sometimes a reason for 

 pairing two Jonques, the philosophy of the thing being nothing more than a concentration into one 

 channel of the power to produce yellow. Occasionally it is found necessary to do this, owing to 

 some peculiar feature in the colour of the feather, arising from too much concentration of Buff 

 blood at some previous stage, through which the brilliancy of the yellow has been clouded by a 

 decided leaning towards the semi-opacity of the duller shade. Its lustre must not be dimmed 

 by the suspicion of even a fringe of meal, and in such a case the pairing of "double Jonques" 

 (i.e., the offspring of two Yellows) showing this extra proportion of Buff blood would probably 

 restore the balance of power ; or two Buffs bred from loosely-feathered, high-coloured Jonques, 

 similarly paired, would have the same effect. Breeders frequently wander some distance from the 

 beaten path of recognised custom in endeavouring to bring about certain results ; and only 

 experience dictates when to stop, and what use to make of the material obtained, which is, in many 

 instances, very valuable, from the fact of its containing a concentrated potency tolerably certain 

 in its action. 



These observations apply simply to the general way in which colour can be affected by 

 systematic pairing. The whole thing lies in a nutshell, so far as concerns the simple principles 

 involved. The Jonque bird represents brilliant colour, the Mealy bird subdued colour ; the former 

 fine, delicate feathering, the latter excess of feather. The elements in each case are simple, 

 requiring nothing more than the exercise of the most ordinary common sense to control them, 

 their mixture being almost mechanical in its action. These remarks are strictly general in their 

 bearing; and when we refer to the pairing of two Yellows or two Buffs, or the uniting of these 

 opposites, the question of the degree of colour in either is not taken into account in layii.g down a 

 rule applicable not only to the Norwich variety, but to the whole family, and which is intended 

 to do nothing more than indicate what is required in the first place, whatever may be the 

 quality of the birds so put up for breeding, whether as regards colour, distinctive plumage, shape, 

 size, or any other feature. The distinctions which are peculiar to Buff and Yellow birds respectively 



