234 
Our  Canaries 
has  undoubtedly  been  associated  with  it.  Some  evidence  of  this  is  given  by  one 
of  our  oldest  fanciers,  Mr.  W.  Shakespeare,  who  assures  us  that  he  once  possessed 
in  the  old  days  some  crested  Belgians  of  very  fair  position,  and  with  the  pose  of 
the  Belgian,  which  were  believed  to  be  the  outcome  of  a  cross  between  a  Lan- 
cashire Coppy  cock  and  a  Bel- 
gian hen.  Among  other  novel- 
ties, too,  of  which  this  veteran 
fancier  has  distinct  recollections, 
are  some  self-cinnamon  Bel- 
gians ;  but  how  these  were  bred 
is  not  known. 
A  BREEDER'S  EXPERIENCE. 
As  a  fitting  close  to  this 
chapter  we  give  the  experience 
of  one  of  the  remaining  few  pro- 
minent breeders  and  exhibitors 
of  this  variety,  to  wit,  Mr.  John 
Fairley,  of  Coatbridge,  to  whom 
our  thanks  are  due  for  these 
notes.  "  I  mate  a  yellow  cock, 
two  years  old,  with  a  young  buff 
hen.  I  like  the  cock  to  be  one 
year  older  than  the  hen,  as  I 
find  from  experience  that  they 
do  not  come  to  maturity  until 
late  in  the  season,  so  that  it  is 
better  to  keep  them  over  a  sea- 
son. I  pair  up  the  best  show 
birds  I  can  get  hold  of— yellow 
cock  to  buff  hen,  or  vice  versa, 
buff  cock  to  yellow  hen.    I  pair 
'/l°3 
THE  SCOTCH  FANCY  CANARY. 
(See  notes  on  page  232.) 
up  about  the  end  of  March,  and  I  give  one  teaspoonful  of  egg  and  breadcrumb 
mixed  m  equal  proportions  with  a  pinch  of  maw  seed  upon  it,  until  the  hen  has 
laid  her  first  egg.  I  take  the  eggs  from  her  as  laid,  and  mark  them  with  a  spot  of 
mk,  and  when  the  clutch  is  complete  I  give  them  to  a  pair  of  common  feeders- 
t.e.,  Common  Canaries-and  give  the  Belgian  the  common  eggs.  I  put  up  two 
pairs  of  Common  birds  to  one  pair  of  Belgians.  On  the  twelfth  night  I  take 
away  the  common  eggs  from  the  Belgian  pair,  and  replace  them  by  three  china 
eggs  for  her  to  complete  the  full  period  of  incubation-viz.  14  days.  I  then  give 
the  bath  with  a  little  quassia  in  the  water,  and  a  fresh  nest ;  and  in  nine  or  ten  days 
she  will  lay  agam,  when  I  repeat  the  procedure  followed  during  the  first  round 
