86 



British Cage Birds. 



general movements ; his carriage is more erect and commanding, 

 and he is altogether bolder and more noble-looking than the hen. 

 The bill, or, as it is more commonly called, the spike," is 

 longer and stouter in the male bird. Both cocks and hens 

 improve in appearance with age, and this is the reason why 

 a hen of two or three years of age is often taken for a young 

 male bird by fanciers who have only had a limited experience 

 in dealing with them. Young birds in their nest feathers 

 are likewise difiScult to distinguish in this respect, and none 

 but thoroughly practical men can with certainty decide between 

 the sexes in a nest of grey pates." 



Song. — The song of this bird is somewhat peculiar, but 

 pleasing. It utters a few low, twittering notes, and then 

 rapidly pronounces the syllable, Finck, Finck ! " with a 

 sharp, sonorous sound ; then it utters an undulating string 

 of notes, somewhat resembling the sound of a harp, and 

 then comes the Finck, Finck ! " rapidly pronounced several 

 times in succession ; and so it runs on with its sharp, dis- 

 jointed song at short intervals of time. 



Points to be Observed in Judging. — The first point is size ; 

 a large bird to be preferred. The next is shape, or con- 

 tour. A bird that gets well up, stands straight on his legs, 

 and is bold and graceful in carriage, is decidedly superior 

 to a squatty, skulking bird. The head should be long, sleek 

 and well-formed ; the bill long, massive, and straight, stout 

 at the base, and tapering to a fine point ; the red face 

 broad, expansive, deep, rich, and brilliant in colour ; the 

 white on the cheeks and breast should be pure, and as free 

 from brown tinge as possible ; the black poll and collar 

 should be intense in their blackness and brilliancy ; the 

 bars on wings should be of a deep rich golden-yellow ; 

 the black feathers in wings and tail should resemble polished 

 ebony ; the white marginal spots on the wings and tail 

 should be pure white, and well defined ; the back and sides 

 of the breast should be of a deep rich bright brown, the 

 breast and vent of a rich pale chestnut-brown, and the legs 

 and beak white. 



Some exhibitors moult these birds, when intended for show 

 purposes, on the cayenne compound, to intensify the colours 

 and enhance their appearance ; and this is a point wherein, 

 we think, judges should act with great circumspection, or 



