BREEDING OF CRESTED BIRDS. 



83 



marked bird ; in this case, also, it is of great importance that 

 two purely-bred birds are coupled, for instance, a fine- 

 crested, green cock, with a straw-coloured hen, then the 

 greater part of the young will always resemble the old ones, 

 i.e., they will also be evenly green or yellow. If, however, 

 a mixing of colours takes place, one "specimen" (select 

 bird) will usually be the result ; such "selections " are then 

 used for the propagation of rare markings. Green and 

 dun-coloured birds are never intermingled, i.e., these two 

 colours never appear together on the same bird ; if paired 

 together, they will only produce young which display each 

 colour separately. As for the remainder, it is alleged that 

 the following pairings are pretty sure to be successful. 

 Black plats and green plats are bred out of a similar male 

 and a clear-yellow female. Green or black " swallows " are 

 produced by a grey or blackish-green crested male and a 

 smooth - headed, bright - yellow female ; dun - coloured 

 " swallows " will be bred in like manner by a crested " dun " 

 male with a gold-coloured, smooth-headed female ; and grey, 

 green, or black-crested birds are raised of a male of that 

 kind, and a bright-yellow or straw-coloured female. Dr. von 

 Gloden bred bright-yellow young (besides some of a dun- 

 colour) out of a yellow male and a dun female. All these state- 

 ments are, of course, to be considered as general rules only. 



Breeding of Crested Birds. — As regards the crest, 



we need only observe that the breeding-bird should have 

 one which is full in feather, and evenly upright, not com- 

 pressed on one side, or thin or bald in the middle, or at the 

 neck ; birds which have such a blemish, should not be used 

 for breeding, because their young would be partly or 

 entirely bald ; nor should two crested birds be paired, because 

 they seldom produce handsome young, but generally bald- 

 headed ones. In this particular, how 7 ever, breeders have 

 also had diverging experience. Dr. v. Gloden bred some 



