Our  Canaries 
the  same  breed,  with  the  result  that  both  Coppies  and  plain-headed  specimens  are 
bred  from  the  same  pair  of  birds,  and  in  the  same  brood.  In  shape  the  head 
adornment  of  the  Coppy  differs  materially  from  that  of  the  modern  Crested 
Canary,  for  whereas  the  latter  should  droop  and  radiate  evenly  all  round,  that  of 
the  Lancashire  Coppy  should  lie  flat  and  smoothly  at  the  back  of  the  head, 
thereby  giving  it  a  "  horse  shoe"  shape  in  outline.  It  must  be  full  and  densely 
packed  with  feathers,  and  quite  free  from  breaks  and  splits. 
In  the  plainheaded  variety  the  head  must  be  as  densely  clothed  with  soft 
profuse  feather  as  possible,  projecting  over  at  each  side  and  forming  heavy 
"  lashing,"  as  the  overhanging  eyebrows  are  termed  in  this  variety.  In  these,  as 
in  all  its  features,  size,  bulk  and  heaviness,  combined  with  freedom  of  movement 
and  a  noble  commanding  appearance,  are  leading  points  in  the  Lancashire. 
WITHIN    ITS  STRONGHOLD. 
Within  the  borders  of  the  county  which  has  given  it  its  present  name  the 
breed  has  always  been  a  favourite,  and  had  plenty  of  devotees  to  preserve  a  living 
interest  in  its  welfare  ;  but  it  is  somewhat  unfortunate,  and  not  without  a  certain 
amount  of  danger  to  its  future  preservation,  that  it  should  so  long  remain  so 
largely  a  localised  breed.  True,  it  has  a  few  admirers  in  other  parts  of  the 
country,  notably  in  the  West  of  England,  and  of  late  years  has  found  its  way 
South  ;  but  there  is  still  good  cause  to  regret  its  limited  range,  and  consequent 
lack  of  popularity  generally.  That  it  is  still  a  great  favourite  in  its  home  county, 
and  in  not  the  slightest  danger  of  extinction,  is  no  criterion  for  its  future  popularity. 
The  same  conditions  would  apply  to  the  London  Fancy,  well  within  the  memory 
of  living  man,  yet  this  breed  is  now  almost  as  extinct  as  the  Dodo.  And  if 
we  examine  the  records  of  any  of  the  breeds  which  are  lost  or  are  in  a  serious 
stage  of  decline,  we  shall  see  that  one  and  all  have  suffered  from  the  same  limited 
class  interest  or  localised  popularity,  which,  like  a  canker-worm,  has  eaten  out  its 
vitals,  and  destroyed  it  from  within,  as  it  were,  working  insidiously  and 
unsuspectingly  until  it  was  discovered  that  the  tottering  fabric  had  little  or  no 
solid  foundation  on  which  it  might  have  been  fortified  or  reconstructed.  To 
avoid  such  a  catastrophe  an  extensive  range  and  wide  interests  are  an  invaluable 
asset.  Let  us  hope,  then,  that  the  many  new  recruits  coming  into  the  Fancy  will 
take  up  one  or  another  of  these  localised,  or  waning  breeds,  as  the  Lancashire  or 
Belgian,  and  thus  help  to  spread  and  popularise  them  more  extensively  in  all 
parts  of  the  country. 
For  the  beginner  there  is  at  least  one  material  advantage  from  the  beginning, 
inasmuch  that,  as  the  breeds  are  not  over-numerous,  competition  is  less  keen,  and 
the  chances  of  early  success  as  an  exhibitor  proportionately  increased. 
The  name  Lancashire  has  only  been  generally  adopted  in  comparatively 
recent  times.     Formerly  it  was  generally  known  as  the  "  Manchester  Coppy,"  or 
