220 BIRDS 



purest on the breast and variegated on the back with stripes 

 of a darker tone. The usual distinction of yellow and 

 buff is made between birds of dark and lighter shade. All 

 self-colored and variegated cinnamons, and even clear yel- 

 lows, cinnamon-bred, have pink eyes, a never-failing indica- 

 tion of ancestry. Cinnamons are recessives in the Mendelian 

 sense, and two birds of this color mated together never 

 will breed anything but cinnamons. The character is also 

 sex-limited in a curious fashion. A cinnamon hen, bred to 

 a cock containing no cinnamon blood, will produce no birds 

 of this color. A cinnamon cock, with a hen not cinnamon 

 bred, will breed some cinnamons, but all of this, color will 

 be hens. On the other hand, cinnamon cocks or hens bred 

 to non-cinnamon birds containing cinnamon blood will pro- 

 duce both sexes of this color. 



Cinnamons, as well as greens, were cultivated for years as 

 separate varieties, color being the cardinal point. Recently, 

 however, these colors have been bred into the principal 

 types of Canaries, so that they are now found among most 

 breeds, such as the Yorkshire, Norwich and Border Fancy. 

 Cinnatnons, however, are still given separate classes at the 

 larger English shows. 



There is still another color which should not be over- 

 looked — ^pure white. Records of White Canaries are of 

 frequent occurrence in the history of the bird, but not until 

 recently have they become well established. 



At the Crystal Palace Show, held in London, February 

 5-9, 1909, the first White Canary was exhibited.* This 

 bird was bred in England by a Mr. Kiesel, and was, in its 

 turn, the sire of six white young. At about the same time, 

 a Mrs. Marten, of New Zealand, bred some white birds, a 

 few of which were later sent to England. The first birds 



*For much information concerning the White Canary, I am in- 

 debted to Mr. F. Carl, editor of Cage Birds, London. 



