Our  Canaries 
225 
Mention  of  this  now  practically  extinct  variety  (which  was  occasionally  met 
with  as  a  sport  in  the  old  days,  and  which  we  believe  was  invariably  produced  by 
the  mating  of  two  silvers  together),  reminds  us  that  it  should  easily  be  revived  on 
the  lines  suggested.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  variety  ever  existed  in  any  considerable 
numbers,  being  looked  upon  rather  as  a  useless  and  undesirable  freak  than  as  an 
acquisition  to  the  Lizard  Fancy.  On  this  subject  one  of  our  oldest  authorities 
on  Lizard  Canaries — Mr.  L.  Butterworth,  of  Rochdale — writes  : — "  At  the  com- 
mencement of  my  Canary-breeding  career  I  sometimes  bred  what  we  called 
Blue  or  Slate-coloured  Lizards.  Sometimes  there  would  be  one  or  two  in  a  nest 
with  ordinary-coloured  Lizards,  and  occasionally  I  saw  similar  birds  in  other  old 
fanciers'  bird-rooms.  We  looked  upon  them  as  sports.  Had  we  so  desired,  we 
could  easily  have  established  a  permanent  strain.  But  the  feathers  of  this  kind  of 
bird  had  a  soft,  fluffy  appearance,  and  the  spangles  had  a  dull  appearance,  so  we 
sold  them  for  singing  birds,  and  never  bred  with  them." 
CHAMELEON-LIKE  CHANGES. 
Continuing,  Mr.  Butterworth  says:  "The  most  wonderful  Lizard  I  ever  saw 
belonged  to  Mr.  Tattersall,  of  Oldham — an  old  Lizard  breeder  and  judge  of  40 
years  ago.  This  bird  was  a  very  good  Silver  Lizard  cock  in  its  nest  feathers, 
and  after  its  first  moult.  But  when  it  got  through  its  second  moult  it  had  not  a 
single  dark  feather  on  it,  its  entire  plumage  being  clear  buff.  In  its  third  moult 
it  again  assumed  the  Lizard  plumage,  only  the  tips  of  its  wing  and  tail  feathers 
being  white.  In  its  fourth  moult  it  again  moulted  a  clear  buff.  It  was  the  only 
Lizard  I  have  ever  seen  moult  perfectly  clear." 
BANTAMS  OR  MIDGETS. 
At  the  present  day  the  trend  of  fanciers'  efforts  is  all  in  the  direction  of 
increasing  the  size  of  varieties  or  in  keeping  it  as  large  as  possible  consistent  with 
standard  requirements.  To  work  in  the  opposite  direction  is  scarcely  ever 
contemplated.  Yet  when  new  varieties  are  in  request  to  maintain  interest  in  the 
hobby  there  will  be  a  wide  field  for  the  skilful  breeder  to  bantamize,  or  breed  in 
miniature,  any  of  the  existing  breeds,  as  is  done  in  the  poultry  world.  A  strain  of 
typical  Yorkshires,  for  example,  with  a  standard  not  to  exceed  4I  inches  in  length, 
or  dainty,  wee  Norwich,  of  4^  inches,  would  prove  a  most  attractive  novelty. 
Some  efforts  were  made  about  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  to  popularise  a  strain 
of  Bantam  Yorkshires,  but  at  that  time  probably  too  much  attention  was  required 
to  perfect  the  ordinary  type  to  leave  any  spare  energy  to  bestow  upon  a  novelty. 
Whatever  the  cause,  the  efforts  to  popularise  it  fell  flat,  and  the  strain  seems  to 
have  quite  disappeared. 
JUSTICE  TO  IRELAND. 
As  a  final  phantasy,  why  should  we  not  endeavour  to  do  honour  to  the  Green 
Isle  of  Erin,  where  the  Fancy  is  fast  making  headway,  by  seeking  to  evolve  a 
