Our  Canaries 
163 
for  egg-food.  Egg-binding  in  the  case  of  some  fanciers  causes  several  losses 
in  a  season,  but  by  giving  green  seeds  (either  dandelion,  chick-weed,  shepherd's- 
purse,  or  other  suitable  seeds  in  season)  I  have  not  had  an  egg-bound  bird  for 
years.  The  pairs  do  best  when  left  together  ;  that  is  my  experience,  and  both 
make  model  parents — sitting,  rearing,  and  feeding  perfectly,  and  giving  no 
trouble.  I  am  now  referring  to  the  pure-bred  bird.  When  a  cross-bred  bird 
is  used  the  result  is  sometimes  very  different." 
LIKE  BREEDS  LIKE. 
Although  the  phrase  "like  breeds  like"  has  become  an  adage,  it  is  by  no 
means  universally  supported.  It  is  nevertheless  true  that  the  fancier  of  to-day  is 
more  inclined  to  adhere  to  it  as  a  principle  than  was  formerly  the  case.  This  is 
chiefly  due  to  the  fact  that  in  regard  to  every  one  of  the  popular  Canary 
varieties  of  to-day  there  exists  more  material  for  the  fancier  to  draw  upon  when 
mating  his  stock  than  was  the  case  years  ago  when  these  varieties  were  in  a  more 
transitionary  state.  Then  the  scientific  breeder  who  knew  the  pedigree  of  his 
stock  and  what  it  was  capable  of  doing  would  frequently  prefer  to  mate  up  a 
specimen  which,  externally,  appeared  less  perfect  in  type  than  others  that  were 
discarded.  But  in  all  such  cases  there  was  sure  to  be  blood  in  the  chosen  bird 
that  was  of  more  valuable  service  to  the  breeder  than  existed  in  its  more  typical 
competitor,  and  the  breeder  knew  to  a  nicety  what  aptitude  the  bird  possessed  for 
transmitting  certain  points  to  its  progeny. 
UNIFORMITY  OF  TYPE. 
To-day,  however,  the  type  is  more  securely  fixed  in  these  varieties,  and  by 
reason  of  their  popularity  there  is  no  lack  of  good  all-round  material  to  supply  all 
demands,  so  that  the  fancier  who  can  afford  to  secure  ready-made  material  to 
produce  the  highest  class  of  birds  can  generally  obtain  it.  Therefore,  it  is  no 
uncommon  thing  to  come  across  breeders  now  who  pin  their  faith  to  the  principle 
that  "  like  breeds  like,"  and  who  prefer  to  mate  good,  all-round  exhibition  birds,  or 
birds  fit  to  win  in  any  show,  rather  than  comparatively  imperfect  specimens.  It 
is  simply  that  as  the  type  becomes  more  firmly  fixed  and  popularity  is  responsible 
for  a  redundancy  of  material,  the  stock  birds  naturally  advance  in  type,  and 
merge  into  the  perfect  show  specimens  without  any  marked  line  of  distinction 
between  them. 
TO    FIX  POINTS. 
Whatever  objection  may  be  brought  against  in-breeding  as  a  whole,  there  can 
be  no  gainsaying  the  fact  that  it  is  the  breeder's  most  powerful  ally  in 
developing  and  fixing  desirable  points.  But  it  will  also  act  no  less  powerfully 
in  fixing  and  perpetuating  bad  points  that  are  not  desired.  The  breeder  is, 
therefore,  called  upon  to  exercise  his  utmost  powers  of  discernment  to  avoid 
in-breeding  with  birds  which  have  inherited  any  typical  imperfection.  In 
the  words  of  Mr.  W.  Spillman  :  "  It  is  most  important  to  have  the  birds  properly 
