tliree erperienced birds, and very curious it is to see the young 

 novices endeavouring to imitate the manoeuvres of their elders.j 

 Let them stay out for a couple of hours, and then recall them 

 by strewing their board (which, as before mentioned, must be 

 painted a bright white) with canary-seed. Never let them out 

 on foggy or very windy days, as they are very apt to lose 

 themselves under such circumstances. 



Eespecting " short-faced " tumblers, a variety high in favour 

 with fanciers, no more need be said, than that it matters little 

 what their colour may be, so that, hke a satisiied Chartist, they 

 possess the " five points." These points are, one of the eye, 

 one of the beak, one of the head, one of feather, and one of 

 carriage. The head should be round, broad, and high; that is 

 to say, having a fuU forehead, rising abruptly, and rather 

 overhanging the beak, so as to form an acute angle where 

 the head and beak join, or, as the fanciers say, have a good 

 stop. 



Fanciers resort occasionally to the shameful practice of 

 breaking the beak or nose, when young, to improve the 

 " stop;" but this often gives the birds an up-beaked appear- 

 ance. 



The wattle must be very fine and narrow, so as to leave but 

 httle space between the beak and the feathers of the head, 

 which should show a sudden rise from the base of the beak. 



The heak should not exceed five-eighths of an inch, measured 

 from the iris of the eye to the end of the quick of the beak, but 

 the shorter the better, straight, and fine, and it has been com- 

 pared to that of a goldfinch. Paring or cutting the beak is 

 resorted to by some dishonest persons ; but it is generally 

 easily to be detected by practised eyes, and spoils the appear- 

 ance. If the young are reared by too coarse nurses, they often 

 have their backs wrenched or twisted, which makes them 

 unsightly or parrot-beaked. The eye should be of a bright 

 clear pearly white, the fuUer and more prominent the better ; 

 and there must be no naked skin or cere round it. 'zi the! 

 best-headed birds the eye often appears rather below the 

 centre of the head. A broken or muddy eye spoils the pret- 

 tiest face. 



The form of the bird should be small and compact, short 

 thin ne)k, fuU chest, short back, tail and pinion feathers also 

 short, and feet small, the carriage mincing, or, as it is vulgarly 

 but expressively termed, " gingerly," head well thrown back, 

 neck curved, chest up, pinions sweeping below the tail, the birr? 



