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Our  Canaries 
and  will  call  for  further  discussion  and  action  in  the  near  future.  I  do  not 
think  I  am  giving  any  secret  away  in  saying  that  many  present-day  winners 
are  judiciously  fed.  These  birds  win  at  one  show,  and  at  the  next — where 
the  judge  is  of  a  suspicious  temperament — they  are  left  cardless. 
"  This  is  unsatisfactory,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  but  what  of  the  fancier 
who  has  been  breeding  for  colour,  and 
occasionally  produces  one  quite  equal  in 
depth  and  intensity  to  any  slightly-fed 
bird  ?  Imagine  his  feelings  when  the 
judge,  answering  his  enquiry  as  to  why 
his  bird  is  passed,  calmly  informs  him — 
'  Your  bird  is  colour-fed.'  This  is  no 
mere  flight  of  fancy  of  mine,  but  is  what 
actually  happens  dozens  of  times  every 
Show  Season,  and  there  are  lots  of 
fanciers  who  will  bear  me  out.  Something 
will  have  to  be  done  to  put  this  matter 
on  a  proper  footing.  I  contend  that  it  is 
absolutely  impossible  for  any  living  judge 
to  say  where  natural  colour  ends  and 
colour-feeding  begins.  This  being  so,  it 
is  surely  manifest  that  the  rule  is  not 
only  absurd,  but  opens  the  door  to  evils 
seen  and  unseen.  Let  us  end  this  policy 
of  make-believe,  throw  the  question  of 
colour  entirely  open,  and  insert  a  clause 
in  the  schedules  instructing  judges  that 
Borders  are  to  be  judged  irrespective  of 
A  method  of  shading  the  birds  from  colour.  This  done,  we  shall  have  removed 
strong  light  during  the  progress  of  the     ^^e  great  cause  of  dissension  and  danger, 
moult. 
and  shall  be  the  better  able  to  pull  together 
for  the  well-being  of  the  Border  Fancy  Canary,  and  for  common  fairness  to  all." 
AN  IMPORTANT  PERIOD. 
Upon  the  importance  of  the  young  birds'  first  moult  Messrs.  Hopper 
Bros.,  of  Border  Fancy  fame,  have  something  to  say.  To  use  their  own 
words  : — "  an  important  period  in  the  life  of  the  young  Border  Fancy  is  the 
moult.  You  will  have  your  eye  on  one  or  two  future  Palace  cracks.  All  the 
birds  want  is  a  quick,  healthy  moult,  and  when  they  are  about  nine  or  ten 
weeks  old  stray  feathers  will  begin  to  fly  about.  A  little  Epsom  salts  in  the 
drinking  water  three  times  a  week  for  the  first  two  weeks  will  be  found  very 
