192 Canaries and Cage-Birds. 



perfection in their way, and in no way differ from those of other Canaries. The feather throughout 

 should be fine in quality, and compact, though many otherwise beautiful specimens are inclined to 

 be rough, and sometimes very much so, disposing their feathers in such disorderly fashion, as to 

 present a really ludicrous appearance. Shape and Position, however, cover a multitude of sins in 

 a Belgian. Beauty of plumage, we have ever maintained, should play a most important part in the 

 show economy of every bird, and an exaggerated display of coarseness we hold to be a serious 

 drawback even in a " position " bird. Colour is seldom displayed to any great extent, but when 

 present, adds much to the beauty of a fine-feathered specimen. 



Such is the Belgian Canary in his formation, the peculiarities of which are not presented to 

 the eye until, in a state of nervous excitement, he braces himself together and shows what the little 

 frame is capable of doing in the way of " Position," much in the same way as the Pouter among 

 pigeons shows himself in his pride. "Position" now becomes the comprehensive property which 

 includes all others as the greater includes the less, since without it minor points cannot be 

 exhibited. We will try and put him on his mettle. On entering a room in which a number of 

 Belgians may be caged singly, or in numbers in flight-cages, we are not at first struck with the 

 peculiar merit of any one specimen. The very best of them, which when put in position may 

 exhibit the most remarkable conformation, is seen hopping in a slovenly manner from one perch to 

 another, or sitting apparently in meditation. His legs are certainly too long, and set too far back. 

 He cannot, when on the bottom of the cage, keep his tail off the ground, and when pecking at g 

 grain of seed stiffens his legs into two splinters, straightens his tail into the same line with the 

 body, like those artistic conceptions on children's toys, and looks eminently uncomfortable. And 

 this is one of those most extraordinary Belgians of which one has heard so much .■' No wonder his 

 beauties have no charm for the profaniun vjdgus, and well may it require an educated eye to 

 discover them. Wait awhile. He hops on a low perch, and from that to a higher, drops his tail, 

 which was never intended to be dragged about on the ground, pulls himself together a little, 

 stretches an inch or two, and is already not the swan out of water he was a moment ago. You pass 

 him into an open show-cage, and possibly one or two others hop in at the same time. Let them 

 remain ; there may be something in them, for surely those ungainly frames and apparently badly- 

 proportioned forms were made for some purpose not yet evident. But we must get them on even 

 terms, for one is standing turned in an opposite direction to the rest. Don't hurry or frighten 

 them in any way. Possibly they may look a little alarmed and not be very steady, or may even heave 

 a little with the excitement, but a few minutes will set them to rights. Our well-bred Belgian is 

 not a bird to be jostled about roughly : he is accustomed to polite society and is not unseemingly 

 boisterous. Hang the cage a little higher, on that nail just above the level of the eye in the 

 far corner of the room, where the attention of the birds will not be distracted by the bustle 

 and twitter in the other cages. Don't lift the cage by the top, or the birds will perhaps cower 

 and become more frightened at the novelty of the situation : take it by the bottom and keep tlie 

 hand out of sight. Surely these cannot be the same birds we saw in the flight } They are 

 already standing in an erect attitude with their legs straightened, their wings tucked up closely, 

 tails so nearly in the same line with the back that a plumb-line would not show much 

 deflection. Some may differ from us in this respect, but we hold that the line from the shoulders 

 to the tip of the tail cannot be too straight, and altogether dissent from opinions which prescribe 

 as the correct line a form having an appreciable curve. On this question we perhaps hold 

 extreme views, but we have been educated in a severe school, and have for years had opportunities 

 for closely examining some of the grandest Continental specimens, in all of which the line of the 

 back is straight, in contradistinction to anything approaching a decided curve or a tendency 



