26o' C A. VARIES AND CaGE-BiRDS. 



A good Dark Jonque should be of a rich, warm bronzy-yellow, or what is known as such 

 among fanciers, though the colour is difficult to describe in familiar terms, deepening into 

 dark shades of rich brown on the top of the head and back, the distribution of this what 

 we may call ground-colour being not unlike that of the Cinnamon in its varying tones. The 

 colour cannot be too glossy or too brilliant, and, under cayenne-feeding, can be wonderfully 

 intensified in birds bred from hens capable of assimilating the stimulating diet. But whatever 

 its character, it is imperative that it shall not be broken by the presence of a single clear 

 feather, however small. The underflue is black, and is generally considered as a test of the 

 character of doubtful feathers, in which, if really clear, the flue will probably be clear also, 

 though it is often exceedingly difficult to determine the question with certainty, and the bird, 

 if in all other respects essentially a Dark Self, takes the benefit of the doubt. The richest 

 display of warm colour is on the breast, and is continued underneath right through to the 

 waist, where, in the highest-coloured examples, it has a tendency to merge itself into yellow. 

 Still, if this yellow shade be compared with the yellow of a Variegated bird, it will 

 scarcely be found to be the same colour, and does not detract from the value of the 

 bird as a Self, being, in fact, a guarantee of high excellence in other respects. It is 

 probably nothing more than an exhibition of the tendency all Canaries, and the Goldfinch 

 also, have to run lighter in colour in the region of the vent, and bears the same relation to 

 the bird, as a whole, as the corresponding paling of colour does in a Self-coloured Green 

 Norwich, a high-bred Cinnamon, or a Yorkshire Green ; and the distinction between this and 

 i>ond fide breaking will be easily recognised by those who know the difference between the 

 paling of the waist of a pure Yorkshire Green and the breaking into a yellow which is not 

 green. Having due regard for the prevailing character of vent-feather, some licence is here 

 allowable, and, we think, on substantial grounds. The most dangerous place for a break is 

 at the back of the head, where, not unfrequently, a few unmistakable ticks spoil the winning 

 chances of a gem if honestly shown. Some Dark Mules will show more of the decided character 

 of the Goldfinch wing than others, but the yellow bars and edging should be as full of colour 

 as the bloom on a whin-bush. The greatest beauty of the bird consists in the blaze or 

 flourish on the face. This, in the Finch, is of a carmine tint bounded by a cleanly-cut 

 line, and covers just so much area that its limits can be seen on a front view. In the Mule, 

 however, its character is entirely altered, the blaze spreading over a larger surface, sometimes 

 far down the throat and over a considerable portion of the breast, where the colour, a fiery 

 red, loses itself among the rich tones with all the delicacy of a carefully-shaded vignette. This 

 effect is much increased by cayenne-feeding, the subtle agent permeating every feather in 

 which the minutest trace of colour can be developed. The colour of the face, and of the bird 

 generally, becomes more briUiant in the spring, as is the case with some of our wild Finches 

 when assuming their nuptial plumage. These are the leading points of a Dark Jonque, and 

 are, as might be presupposed, mainly colour-features. To them we may add commanding 

 size; and it is worthy of note that though large size is not common among Vane^-a f ed Jonques, 

 yet among the Selfs it is the rule rather than the exception, arising from the fact that in 

 breeding Selfs there is no restriction in the selection of muling hens, because anj/ hen, from a 

 Lancashire giantess downwards, will throw a Dark Mule, and size is so far under some 

 control ; but any hen will )ioi throw a Variegated Mule, as we shall presently explain. The 

 most compact form of feather imaginable is also a property, to lack which is to put any 

 otherwise good Mule almost entirely out of court ; it is, however, generally ensured by the 

 admixture of the naturally close plumage of the Finch. The same features may be accepted as 



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