Our  Canaries 
give  the  birds  a  little  suet,  or  piece  of  apple,  or  some  boiled  carrot  occasionally. 
I  find  that  the  birds  do  well  on  this  treatment,  seldom  going  wrong.  But 
should  they  become  constipated,  then  Senna  leaves  put  in  the  drinking  water  puts 
them  right.  I  do  not  use  any  drugs,  but  try  to  alter  the  diet  a  little.  None  of 
my  birds  have  asthma  or  wheezing,  and  they  require  no  lung  tonics.  I  have 
found  medicines  of  little  use." 
AS  BREEDERS  AND  FEEDERS. 
"  Anyone  who  takes  an  interest  in,  and  gives  attention  to,  keeping  a  regular 
supply  of  green  seeds  for  the  pairs  when  rearing  young  need  not  despair  of  rear- 
ing them. 
"  In  most  cases  the  Belgians  will  be  found  model  parents  as  regards  sitting, 
or  the  rearing  of  their  young.  Feeders  are  not  required  in  their  case,  so  long  as 
the  breed  is  kept  pure  with  no  cross  in  them.  But  in  crossing  them  with  others 
the  trouble  commences  ;  that  is  as  I  have  found  it  after  about  50  years'  ex- 
perience." 
A  PLEA  FOR  THE  OLD  AND  TRUE. 
**  As  an  old-timer  I  stick  to  the  old  type  and  the  true  one,  although  I  admit 
it  is  rather  difficult  to  find  them  now.  To  define  the  true  shape  so  that  a  novice 
can  understand  it  is  rather  difficult,  so  I  give  three  rough  sketches. 
"  No.  I  is  the  old  type,  and  the  type  adopted  by  the  U.K.B.C.A. 
"  No.  2  is  another  style  which  has  taken  a  good  position  at  some  shows,  under 
some  judges,  but  exhibits  no  more  droop  than  shown,  with  a  character  similar  to 
No.  I. 
"  The  third  is  the  Scotch  Fancy. 
"  The  first  cross  is  a  little  straighter,  and  the  true  Belgian  fanciers  complain 
of  this,  as  the  one  that  is  trying  to  supersede  the  true  type  and  that  is  destroying 
competition.  It  cannot  be  in  the  interest  of  the  Fancy  to  destroy  the  dignified 
and  commanding  character  of  the  true-bred  bird. 
"  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  means  may  be  adopted  for  preserving  the 
*  King.'  It  is  the  most  domesticated  and  the  easiest  managed  of  the  Canary 
family." 
ITS  USE  IN  CROSS-BREEDING. 
Although,  as  already  intimated,  the  Belgian  has  been  very  largely  employed, 
and  to  its  own  detriment,  as  a  cross  by  breeders  of  the  Scotch  Fancy,  this  is  by  no 
means  the  only  direction  in  which  it  has  been  so  used.  Directly  or  indirectly,  it 
has  doubtless  played  a  part  in  the  evolution  of  nearly,  or  quite,  all  our  highly-bred 
varieties  in  which  nerve  or  position  form  an  essential  feature  to  perfection  of  type. 
In  the  making  of  the  modern  Yorkshire  it  has  played  a  large  and  most  important 
part,  and  to  its  influence  the  Yorkshire  owes  its  style,  nerve  and  elegant  pose.  In 
its  palmy  days  on  the  Continent  it  was  also  allied  with  the  frilled  varieties,  such  as 
the  Dutch  Frill  and  the  French  Ruffle,  and  in  our  own  country  the  Lancashire 
