THE LONDON-BREED. 



41 



the " jabot " and the "epaulets" must be wanting. It is 

 in general a gentle, soft-voiced little bird. I need not 

 describe the varieties of colouring, for they resemble those 

 of the Norwich breed, both in their natural colours and in 

 the pepper-coloured variety, with all their variegated marks, 

 both smooth-headed and crested. 



The clear yellow, the clear buff, and the green Yorkshire 

 are particular favourites ; the last-named should be an even 

 more or less dark green all over the body, with a blackish 

 streak on the forehead, the eyebrows, the "beard," and 

 the ueck. The " mantle " and the back should have narrow 

 shaft-shaped streaks. The " fans " and the tail feathers 

 should be of a deep black with a broad green outer edge. 

 The prices for birds of these breeds vary greatly, (from 15s. 

 to 30s. per head). 



The London-breed, or, as it is called, the " London 

 Fancy," is very small and delicate, considerably below the 

 size of the Hartz-bird, and is likewise met with in the most 

 varied shades of colour, from a whitish, to a bright yellow, 

 as well as in the pepper-coloured shade ; the marking which 

 finds most favour is that known as " swallow," the colour 

 of this mark should be black, or at least a very dark brown ; 

 sometimes the uppermost wing, or " fan," is a clear white, 

 producing a pleasing effect ; the great wing-covers, as well as 

 the shoulders, are a deep yellow like the shoulders ; the 

 small wing-covers are black or brown, but are covered by 

 the yellow in such a manner as to show, quite symmetrically, 

 the " swallow " design ; the dark streak at the eyebrows 

 and eyes is totally wanting; unfortunately, however, the 

 fine swallow mark soon bleaches into a light, musty shade, 

 or it becomes mixed with white and grey, that is, speckled. 

 It may be said that, as a rule, such a bird will conserve its 

 whole beauty for about two years at the utmost, and often 

 not so long, but although it may, at the end of that time, 



