258 
Our  Canaries 
PRESERVING  SHAPE  AND  TYPE. 
Occasionally  the  birds  may  begin  to  get  weak  in  chest  and  slender  in  waist. 
This  is  most  likely  to  occur  when  one  is  endeavouring  to  work  up  a  strain  of  his 
own,  and,  consequently,  is  probably  in-breeding  a  little  too  closely.  But  whatever 
the  cause  care  should  be  taken  to  check  the  fault  in  good  time,  without  resorting 
to  an  alien  cross.  Unless  the  first  failings  are  neglected  and  the  faults  allowed  to 
become  of  a  very  aggravated  type  there  will  be  plenty  of  suitable  birds  of  the 
necessary  stout  and  cobby  description  required  to  correct  these  faults  to  be  found 
among  pure  bred  Cinnamons,  with  an  occasional  double-buff  mating,  to  make  an 
alien  cross  easily  avoidable.  In  selecting  birds  in  such  a  case  do  not  be  misled 
by  mere  size  or  length.  Remember  it  is  a  question  of  shape  rather  than  size  that 
is  under  consideration,  and  do  not  be  afraid  to  mate  a  moderate  sized  bird  of  the 
necessary  substance  and  fulness  of  chest  or  waist  as  the  case  may  be  with  a  bird 
failing  in  these  points.  If  the  moderate  sized  bird  is  bred  from  good  sized  parents 
it  will  be  far  better  than  introducing  any  alien  blood,  and  may  produce  young 
quite  up  to  standard  size.  When  an  outside  cross  is  introduced  to  remedy  these 
defects,  a  large  yellow,  and  very  chubby,  and  close-feathered  Norwich  hen,  with 
stout  tail,  should  be  selected,  and  mated  to  the  cobbiest  buff  self-Cinnamon  cock 
available.  Always  remember  that  when  introducing  alien  blood  the  Cinnamons 
employed  should  be  of  undoubted  purity,  and  pure  Cinnamon  bred  for  not  less 
than  two  generations.  From  this  cross  the  stoutest  and  chubbiest  birds  in  chest 
and  waist  should  be  selected,  and  the  Cinnamon  hens  mated  back  to  pure  bred 
self-Cinnamon  cocks,  and  the  Green  cocks  tried  with  pure  Cinnamon  hens  in  the 
same  way  as  recommended  in  our  last  paragraph  in  the  cross  to  improve  the 
colour.  All  the  progeny  that  do  not  show  the  necessary  improvement  in  substance 
where  it  is  most  desired  may  be  dispensed  with,  as  one  does  not  wish  to  infuse 
alien  blood  with  no  specific  object  in  view,  and  in  this  case  the  absence  of  the 
required  substance  in  chest  and  waist  stultifies  any  such  object. 
THE  CREST-BRED  CROSS. 
To  obtain  this  desired  improvement  in  chest  and  waist  when  birds  are  running 
weak  in  these  points,  and  also  increase  the  size,  a  cross  with  the  Crest-bred  is 
sometimes  advised,  and  many  novices  have  doubtless  resorted  to  this  cross  to  their 
sorrow.  In  our  opinion  it  is  altogether  unnecessary  and  mischievous,  and  the  cross 
with  the  Norwich  Plainhead  will  not  only  give  infinitely  less  trouble  in  future  years, 
but  will  accomplish  all  that  is  desired.  It  is  quite  true  that  one  can  select  a  Crest- 
bred  hen,  close,  smooth,  and  short-feathered,  with  a  short  tail,  and  poorly  furnished 
head,  showing  no  eyebrow — a  mere  wastrel  from  the  Crest  fancier's  point  of  view 
— which  would  be  just  the  type  of  Crest-bred  to  use  if  this  cross  is  resorted  to,  but 
in  such  a  hen  there  exists  the  innate  tendency  to  produce  young  with  profuse,  long, 
rough  feathers,  long  tails,  and  densely  feathered  heads,  with  projecting  eye-brows, 
all  of  which  are  most  objectionable  points  in  the  Cinnamon,  and  will  give  endless 
