128 Caa^arjes axd Cage-Birds. 



the most interesting branches in connection with the Canary fancy. It is a wide field, every 

 possible form in which the Plainhead appears having its counterpart in the Crested family, so that 

 a bird of this description needs but to possess the credentials of a good crest to be able to find its 

 way into one of the many classes provided at our shows. It is the leading feature, and is so highly 

 valued that, after exhausting every usual arrangement for the reception of recognised forms, it is 

 not unusual to provide yet another class, in which " crest alone " is all that is asked for, and reigns 

 supreme over shape, feather, marking, colour, or any other point otherwise considered of very 

 great importance. From this it will be seen that the crest-breeder need never despair or relax in 

 his efforts for want of encouragement, or because he may be afraid of producing birds for which 

 he will find " no class " in our schedules. An exceptional crest always has a class, even if it be 

 relegated to the " Any other Variety." Superlative merit will always enable it to pull through in 

 the hands of a judge who understands what crest-breeding is ; and such a bird will always 

 command a high price, even though it have no other redeeming feature to commend it to notice. 



The first general rule to be observed in pairing birds for crest-breeding is to mate a Crest with 

 a Plainhead, and this rule is so general as to be almost invariable. The reason for this is some- 

 what obvious, if we bear in mind that a Canary's crest is not a high spherical tuft, but a flat, 

 fimbriated arrangement of the feathers on the top of the skull, which, radiating from a centre, 

 would have their character entirely altered if any approach to a high tuft were to take place. We 

 have seen indications of this tufted form, and a crest without a centre is not so uncommon an 

 occurrence as to excite much surprise. Tuft-crests, if we may coin the word to describe these 

 occasional departures from the regular form, seem to present no methodical arrangement of the 

 feathers, which themselves are different in character from those found in a radiated crest, being 

 much shorter and apparently but a slightly enlarged form of the ordinary feathers on the crownj 

 increased in number, and, to use a homely but expressive phrase, " combed the wrong way." Such 

 tuft-crests are generally very dense and more like rough mats than anything else ; and it has been 

 found that pairing two Crests ultimately leads to the production of similar forms in which excess 

 of feather, without any regard to arrangement, takes the place of the radiated type so dear to the 

 fancier's eye. At the same time, this does not always follow as an immediate and direct result ; 

 and the general rule we have given is occasionally departed from, as all rules are under exceptional 

 circumstances, when it is found desirable to pair with a view to obtaining excess of crest-feather at 

 the risk of sacrifice of form and radiation, which are not always, as a necessary consequence, 

 affected by a first double cross. Much depends upon the character of the two crests so paired, 

 and some of the most effective forms which have ever appeared on the show-bench have resulted 

 from a happy hit in this direction. In a general way, however, what is gained in feather is lost in 

 symmetry, which requires to be afterwards developed by systematic mating of Plainheads. 



For, besides such direct "hits" and crests of approved type, there will be some objectionable 

 forms which it is not desirable to perpetuate. We have already referred to some of these on 

 page 104, but it may be well to show them more particularly. Fig. 39 shows good front, but 

 defective arrangement in the rear, where two ugly partings destroy the uniformity of the radiation 

 — a not uncommon defect. Fig. 40 illustrates the " split " crest, in which the absence of any 

 defined centre affects the character of the front very materially ; it will be noticed, in fact, that 

 there is no centre. A split seems to be the first attempt at radiation, and its presence appears to 

 indicate a reversion to some form we certainly do not want : moreover, this fault is extremely 

 difficult to breed out. Fig. 41 also represents good front, but broken or "tucked in" at the sides — a 

 defect sometimes noticeable in the original Coppy. Fig. 42 is not sufficiently filled in behind, and 

 is also badly carried, being too much tilted up. Fig. 43 delineates neat feathering, but bad shape, 



