26o 
Our  Canaries 
pestilence,  and  until  he  has  gained  a  knowledge  and  mastery  over  the  peculiar 
working  of  Cinnamon  blood  adhere  rigidly  to  the  pure  unadulterated  article  for  all 
changes  of  blood  and  revival  of  failing  properties,  leaving  the  introduction  of  alien 
blood  to  the  old  experienced  hands  who,  having  a  wider  knowledge  and  experience 
to  guide  them,  are  better  able  to  grapple  with  and  control  its  peculiar  wanderings 
and  effects.  How  then,  one  may  ask,  is  the  novice  to  acquire  practical  experience  ? 
Easily  enough  :  by  setting  apart  a  small  stud  of  a  few  pairs  among  which  to  con- 
duct experiments  and  acquire  practical  knowledge,  after  thoroughly  digesting  the 
theory  and  practice  given  in  Mr.  North's  valuable  contributions  to  the  subject, 
and  those  of  other  old  and  successful  breeders.  But  let  him  keep  this  stud  wholly 
apart  from  his  exhibition  and  pure  stock  birds.  Experiments,  for  experiments' 
sake,  so  long  as  they  are  not  introduced  indiscriminately  into  the  whole  of  one's 
breeding  or  exhibition  stock,  are  highly  commendable  for  the  invaluable  knowledge 
and  experience  they  furnish  to  a  methodical  breeder  and  close  student ;  but,  even 
so,  the  novice  is  oft-times  all  too  rash  and  eager  to  rush  into  alien  blood  crosses  to 
improve  his  stock  and  win  a  higher  place  in  the  exhibition  world,  only  to  find  when 
too  late  that  his  expected  progress  has  been  a  retrogression,  and  he  is  several  years 
behind  the  position  he  had  already  attained  before  the  foreign  blood  was  introduced. 
A  sound  and  wise  maxim  for  the  beginner  is  to  adhere  rigidly  to  purity  of  breed, 
and  when  a  change  of  blood  is  required  select  it  from  pure  bred  birds,  and  leave 
outside  crosses  severely  alone  until  a  good  knowledge  and  understanding  of  the 
effect  likely  to  be  produced  have  been  acquired — first  by  reading  up  the  experience 
of  others,  then  by  theory,  prudently  tested  by  practical  experiments  on  a  limited 
scale,  when,  if  warranted  by  results,  they  may  be  generally  added  to  the  scope  of 
one's  operations. 
SOME  REMINISCENCES. 
That  old  breeder  Mr.  C.  E.  Silk,  of  Emsworth,  kindly  contributes  the  following 
notes  and  reminiscences  : — "  The  Cinnamon  is  a  very  peculiar  variety  of  Canary, 
and  one  I  have  bred  and  studied  for  many  years.  I  have  bred  and  sold  some  of 
the  finest  specimens  ever  seen  ;  notably  the  Yellow  with  which  Mr.  T.  Heath  twice 
won  first  at  the  Crystal  Palace,  and  numerous  other  prizes.  I  also  sent  two  of  my 
young  birds  to  Liverpool  Show,  where  they  met  all  comers,  with  20  entries  in  the 
class,  and  were  awarded  special,  first  and  second,  and  sold  for  ^15.  So  I  can  speak 
with  some  authority  about  this  variety.  The  first  honour  ever  gained  by  me  was 
with  a  Cinnamon.  When  I  first  commenced  to  breed  this  variety  the  type  was 
very  different  from  what  we  had  a  few  years  later.  We  had  what  used  to  be  called 
the  Northampton  and  Derby  type.  Then  the  craze  came  for  size,  and  we  had 
some  big  ones  imported  from  the  North,  and  round  about  Birmingham.  I  sent  to 
my  old  friend,  John  Thackrey,  who  at  that  time  was  foremost  in  almost  every 
variety — one  of  the  best  fanciers  England  ever  possessed — and  he  sent  me  a  big 
buff  which  I  named  the  "Old  Champion,"  and  he  won  from  one  end  of  England 
