Our  Canaries 
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but  not  nipped  in  at  back,  or  horny,  or  rough-feathered  at  the  back  or  sides  of  the 
head.  Never,  if  it  can  be  avoided,  breed  with  one  that  has  a  hole  in  the  back  of  the 
head,  as  the  young  are  sure  to  inherit  the  fault,  and  it  is  most  difficult  to  eradi- 
cate. The  Lancashire  cannot  be  bred  too  long — the  longer  it  is,  given  other  propor- 
tions, the  better,  but  it  must  have  a  good  round  back.  The  Coppy  must  be  as 
long  and  broad  in  feather  as  possible,  reaching  to  the  tip  of  the  beak,  with  a  slight 
droop,  but  fall  at  the  back,  showing  none  of  the  feathers  we  term  '  horning 
feathers  '  at  the  sides.  The  Plainhead  has  a  well-furnished,  good  round  h^d 
with  a  slight  '  lashing  '  over  the  eyes  to  make  it  have  a  sulky  appearance," 
HOW  TO  BREED  THEM. 
"  In  starting  the  Fancy,  get  the  best  birds  you  can.  Do  not  expect  to  breed 
good  young  from  poor  parents.  The  best  way  to  pair  is  to  put  a  big  yellow 
Coppy  cock  to  a  big  buff  Plainhead  hen,  or  vice  versa.  But  it  makes  a  difference 
when  one  knows  his  birds.  In  breeding  for  stock  birds  I  should  advise  a  mating 
of  a  yellow  Coppy  cock  to  a  bufif  Coppy  hen,  or  vice  versa,  in  order  to  keep  the 
yellow  blood  strong.  But  in  mating  for  size,  put  two  buff  Coppies  together.  Do 
not  do  it  more  than  once,  or  the  young  will  be  very  rough.  Some  fanciers  say 
that  one  should  never  double-yellow,  so  I  decided  to  experiment.  I  put  two 
yellows  together  and  bred  the  yellow  Plainhead  which  has  won  seven  first  prizes, 
including  the  Palace,  one  second  and  one  third,  and  has  been  among  the 
"cracks"  on  each  occasion,  and  was  beaten  by  older  birds.  I  must  admit  he 
has  been  an  exception.  Still,  it  makes  all  the  difference,  as  said  previously,  when 
one  knows  his  stock." 
MORE  OWD'AM  METHODS. 
To  Mr.  E.  Lowe,  of  Oldham,  we  are  indebted  for  a  valuable  description  of 
his  system  of  mating  and  breeding  the  Lancashire.  Writing  of  its  chief  features 
as  already  given,  Mr.  Lowe  points  out  particularly  that  the  neck  must  be  full  and 
thick,  fitting  on  a  round,  full  and  long  back,  with  good  long  wings  to  give  the 
bird  the  appearance  of  what  we  term  long-sided,  which  is  an  essential  feature  in  a 
good  Lancashire,  and  the  necessity  of  good  strong  legs  to  carry  itself  in  a  bold, 
up-standing  position.  "  At  one  time,"  he  continues,  "  Crested  Norwich  fanciers 
used  to  scour  the  Lancashire  breeders'  rooms  to  obtain  good  Coppy  birds.  But 
Lancashire  breeders  found  to  their  cost  that  they  were  losing  ground  by  selling 
their  best  birds  to  Crest  fanciers.  To  produce  a  good  Lancashire,  start  with  a 
good  large  buff  Plainhead  cock  and  a  medium-sized  yellow  Coppy  hen,  and  follow 
the  ordinary  course  of  mating  yellow  with  buff. 
"  Experienced  fanciers  sometimes  pair  two  Coppy  birds  together  to  gain  head 
properties ;  but  under  such  circumstances  the  Coppies  should  be  of  perfect  for- 
mation, otherwise  the  result  would  be  disastrous.  If  one  should  produce  a  good 
Coppy  bird  from  this  pairing,  either  yellow  or  buff,  cock  or  hen,  it  should  be  mated 
