Our  Canaries 
149 
the  Norwich  Plainhead.  I  look  upon  the  hen  as  the  mould  in  which  the  bird 
is  made.  Don't  be  guided  by  what  you  see  on  the  surface  alone.  Enquire 
into  what  is  underneath.  I  hear  someone  say  'All  bosh!'  Ah,  well!  my 
friends,  I  know;  and  what  I  have  learnt  by  experience  I  give  freely,  and  ask 
for  its  acceptance  in  the  same  spirit. 
"  About  three  years  ago  the  W.C.O.S.  held  a  members'  show  in  Devonport, 
and  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  secure  a  fair  share  of  the  good  things.  During  the  afternoon 
I  saw  a  trio  of  Norwich  fanciers  discussing  the  pros  and  cons  of  my  winning 
buff  hen.     I  made  for  their  company  and  the  conversation  terminated,  but  1 
said  '  Go  on,'  and  Mr.  ,  who  generally  says  what  he  thinks,  said  to  me, 
'  Whatever  you  breed  from  her  will  be  small  in  head.'  I  smiled,  and  said  I 
didn't  think  so.  'She  is  bred  right,'— mark  well  the  words  'bred  right,'— 'and 
the  cock  she  will  be  mated  to  has  a  very  fine  head  and  neck,  which  will 
counteract  the  part  you  complain  of.' " 
PROPHECY  FULFILLED 
"And  so  it  did,  for  it  was  from  this  pair  that  I  bred  the  cup-winning 
yellow  that  was  shown  fourteen  times,  and  won  twelve  first,  one  third,  and 
one  fourth,  prizes,  and  on  the  last-named  occasion  it  was  unpacked  after  twenty- 
four  hours  and  put  direct  on  the  judging  table. 
"  I  know  there  are  many  fanciers  who  pay  little  regard  to  what  a  bird 
comes  from,  and  pair  them  up  as  they  appear  suitable  from  a  surface  value. 
But  when  one  looks  upon  a  hen  to  be  worth  apparently  about  3s.  6d.,  and 
is  told  she  produced  £20  of  stock  in  her  first  season,  you  commence  by 
saying :  '  What  was  she  mated  to  ?  '—and  you  may  add  to  that  '  What  did 
she  come  from  ?  '  " 
BLOOD  WILL  TELL. 
The  Rev.  David  Dickson,  the  noted  Crest  breeder  of  Lowestoft,  writes  in 
similar  terms  of  this  highly-cultivated  breed.  In  his  own  words  :  "  It  happens 
sometimes  that  a  breeder  will  get  a  show  specimen  from  parents  of  very 
inferior  appearance,  and  he  concludes  that  this  will  invariably  be  so;  but  in 
this,  as  in  other  departments  of  the  animal  world,  blood  stands  supreme. 
And  if  the  origin  of  the  parents,  or  one  of  them,  could  be  traced,  it  would  be 
found  that  somewhere  there  came  in  the  blood  which  reproduced  itself  through 
the  parents.  Breeders  know  that  even  in  the  best  strains  a  show  specimen 
is  the  exception,  while  brothers  and  sisters  from  the  same  nest  may  in 
appearance  be  only  ordinary  birds  with  no  special  attractions,  and  some  may 
even  be  sold  as  '  surplus '  at  a  very  low  figure,  and  yet  these  birds  are 
capable  of  producing  birds  of  the  highest  type  and  quality,  because  they  have 
blood  of  a  good  strain.  It  is  most  important  then,  on  starting  to  breed  Crests, 
that  the  fancier  should,  as  far  as  possible,  ascertain  that  the  foundation  birds 
of  his  stock  are  of  good  origin  and  have  possibilities  of  reaching  a  high 
