150 Canaries and Cage-Birds. 



having pink-eyed birds without having the slightest idea of their descent ; any knowledge of the fact 

 being further kept out of view owing to many of these birds having been bred for one purpose or 

 another perfectly clear, without as much as a single cinnamon feather being discerned in them, 

 and having thus passed from hand to hand till they have come into the possession of persons 

 who were quite unacquainted with their character, and, not suspecting it, have mated them with 

 birds of other breeds, with some of the perplexing results we have referred to. Young birds of 

 this class, when feathered, it will be well to mark by a distinguishing notch on one of the flight- 

 feathers, or in some similar way, to ensure identification at a future day. The value of those found 

 to have good technical marking, or even a decent approach to it, cannot be over-estimated. We 

 have in them the starting-point of a marked strain, and there are many ways of pairing, a few of 

 which only need to be suggested in order to indicate the direction in which the work can be carried 

 out. The Cinnamon-marked birds, being all hens, may be mated with Clear-bodied pink-eyed 

 cocks, with the tolerable certainty of having marking of some kind reproduced. The Green-marked 

 cocks might also be similarly mated with these hens, and by that means would be concentrated in 

 one channel two like tendencies, even at the risk of producing a heavy form of marking, or a 

 leaning towards irregular variegation through the infusion of two streams of Cinnamon blood. Or 

 these valuable Green-marked cocks might be paired with Clear hens of a fresh Norwich strain, with 

 a reasonable expectation of throwing lightly-marked Cinnamons or a further supply of pink-eyed 

 Clears, both cocks and hens, to be made use of in the almost endless ways in which the principles 

 of pedigree-breeding can be brought to bear on this remarkable Canary. 



We do not think it necessary to devote a separate chapter to the subject of breeding Crested 

 Cinnamons in all its detail, because the line of operation can be deduced from our foregoing 

 observations; the chief point for consideration here being how to introduce the crest in the first 

 instance — this, of course, implying the assumption that the breeder has no Crested Cinnamon of any 

 kind at command. The most direct method, it is obvious, will be to import it through the hen, since 

 in that way the object sought is obtained at once. It is not material what class of hen we select, but 

 we should prefer a Grey-crested or a Clear-bodied Dark-crested Norwich. Hens of this description, 

 paired with a rich Jonque Cinnamon cock, would produce — what .'' In accordance with the law 

 of Cinnamon first-cross we should expect to find Greens, Cinnamons, Variegated birds of either 

 kind, and also Clears with pink eyes, the nests containing, as a natural consequence, both Crests 

 and Plainheads. Of these the Cinnamon-marked Crested birds must, at least, be hens, whatever 

 the amount of their variegation, be it merely a few cinnamon feathers mixed in the crest or a 

 more widely-distributed form of variegation. And the Green-marked Crested will be — what ? 

 Cinnamon-bred, of course; the cocks being a medium through which cinnamon crest can be 

 planted on any variety,' just as the corresponding form in the Plainhead can produce cinnamon 

 marking. Similar forms of feather will also be found among the Plainheads, and there will also 

 probably be the pink-eyed Clear body. What are we to do with these varied products .' If we 

 have put up several pairs, or have mated the same Jonque Cinnamon to two or three hens, we shall 

 have material at command to carry out our pedigree-breeding efficiently, without forming a series of 

 alliances too far within the prescribed bounds of consanguinity ; though, in commencing, we should 

 mate irrespective of such laws if any two streams ran in the direction wished, only too glad to unite 

 them in one. Take the Green-marked cocks first. Crested or Plainhead : a Crested bird we would 

 pair with a lightly Cinnamon-marked hen, and expect to find among the produce Variegated 

 Crested Cinnamons of either sex, more or less evenly-marked according to the marking of the 

 parents; a Plainhead we would mate up with a Clear-bodied Cinnamon-crested hen, and expect 



