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Our  Canaries 
LIZARD  FANCIERS*  METHODS. 
In  no  variety  are  skilful  moulting  and  colour-feeding  more  important  than  in 
the  Lizard  Canaries.  We  are,  therefore,  greatly  indebted  to  that  most  successful 
exhibitor  of  this  variety,  Mr.  F.  W.  Baker,  of  Shaw,  for  the  following  description 
of  his  method:— "To  get  the  necessary  depth  of  colour,"  he  writes,  "it  is 
advisable  that  the  very  best  feed  should  be  used  ;  that  it  should  be  given  at 
regular  intervals  ;  and  that  it  should  be  commenced  in  good  time,  to  allow  of  its 
getting  thoroughly  infused  into  the  blood  before  the  bird  commences  to  cast 
feathers.  Otherwise  you  will  get  an  uneven  and  patchy  colour,  and  your  labour 
will  have  been  in  vain.  I  find  the  following  'feed'  excellent  for  the  Lizard 
Canary      i  lb.  pure   hot  Natal  pepper ;  2  lbs.  best  tasteless    pimento  ;  ^  lb. 
raw  sugar;  ^Ib.  pure  almond 
oil.  Rub  and  mix  the  whole 
well  together,  and  pass  through 
a  sieve.  I  have  tried  many 
tasteless  peppers  by  them- 
selves, and  have  found  I  cannot 
get  sufficient  colour  in  my 
birds  without  having  recourse 
to  hot  pepper  also. 
Before  commencing  to 
colour-feed  it  is  necessary  that 
each  bird  should  be  placed  in 
a  cage  by  itself,  the  cage  being 
first  well  cleaned  and  lime- 
washed.  The  cage  should 
not  again  be  cleaned  out 
until  the  bird  has  finished  its  moult.  Strange  as  this  may  appear,  it  is  a 
fact  that  continual  cleaning  of  the  cage  has  a  tendency  to  stop  the  bird 
casting  its  feathers,  and  it  is  necessary  that  the  Lizard,  to  make  an  ex- 
hibition specimen,  should  have  a  sharp,  quick  moult." 
UTENSILS  FOR  MIXING  COLOUR-FOOD. 
Tin  of  colour-food;   sieve  to  pass  the  egg  and  biscuit 
through;   basin  and  spoon;    hard-boiled  egg;  quantity 
of  biscuits. 
THE  SECRET  OF  SUCCESS. 
"  The  grand  secret  lies,  not  in  the  quantity  of  feed  you  can  cram  into 
the  bird,  but  in  the  regularity  with  which  it  is  given.  I  always  endeavour  to 
give  the  'feed'  so  that  the  bird  will  feed  from  it  the  last  thing  at  night  be- 
fore it  retires  to  roost,  and  immediately  it  awakes  in  the  early  morning.  I 
use  ordinary  household  bread,  in  the  proportion  of  three  parts  bread  to  one 
part  of  hard-boiled  egg,  and  I  give  each  bird  one  teaspoonful  daily,  mixed 
with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  colour-food  already  mentioned." 
