Our  Canaries 
capped  specimen.  Sometimes  the  light  cap  runs  on  to  the  lores— the  space 
between  eye  and  beak— when  it  is  termed  "  bald-faced  "—an  extremely  bad  fault, 
and  difficult  to  eradicate.  In  a  bird  marred  with  the  fault  of  being  "over- 
capped  "  the  light  colour  may  extend  below  the  base  of  the  skull,  and  spread  more 
or  less  upon  the  neck,  or  it  may  spread  downwards  below  the  upper  margin  of  the 
eye-lash  on  one  or  both  sides.  The  eye-lash,  or  cere,  must  be  dark,  and  the  dark 
eye-lash  over  the  eye  should  always  form  a  streak  of  dark  colour  between  the  eye 
and  the  light  colour  of  the  cap.    Legs,  feet  and  beak  should  also  be  dark. 
THE  MARKINGS. 
The  spangling  or  "  mooning,"  as  the  old  fanciers  called  it,  consists  of 
numerous  small,  black,  somewhat  triangular-shaped  spots,  as  black  as  possible  in 
colour,  and  standing  out  as  sharp  and  clear  in  outline  and  definition  as  possible, 
and  arranged  in  regular  lines,  commencing  at  the  termination  of  the  cap  and 
running  parallel  right  down  the  back  to  the  commencement  of  the  tail.  The  in- 
dividual spots  should  be  smallest  at  the  top  of  the  neck  and  gradually  increase  in 
size  and  boldness  as  they  run  downwards  over  the  back.  Each  spot  and  each  line 
should  be  separate  and  distinct,  without  fuzziness  or  divergence  of  the  lines,  to 
which  is  applied  the  terms  "  Unable,"  "  rowing  "  and  "  creeling."  On  the  sides  the 
spangling  should  commence  on  the  butts  of  the  wings,  and  be  profuse,  bold  and 
large  ;  and  the  large  feathers  of  the  wings  and  tail  should  be  as  black  and  lustrous 
as  possible  right  down  to  the  base  of  the  quill,  and  fringed  on  the  outer  edges  with 
gold  or  silver,  as  the  case  may  be.  This  light  fringe  of  colour  on  the  wing  butts 
and  larger  feathers  is  termed  the  lacing.  The  breast  which  must  be  full  and 
broad  should  be  sound  and  deep  in  ground  colour,  without  any  signs  of  running 
light  at  the  throat  or  waist,  and  clearly  and  boldly  spangled,  the  dark  spangling 
running  down  the  sides  in  distinct  lines  or  rows,  as  on  the  back.  The  underflue, 
or  that  portion  of  the  feather  at  the  end  nearest  the  root  generally  called  the  fluff 
or  flue,  should  be  as  dark  as  possible,  and  of  a  dull  blue-black  shade.  The  general 
plumage  in  all  respects  as  rich  and  lustrous  in  sheen,  short  and  close-fitting  as  can 
be  obtained. 
ITS  POPULARITY. 
Such  is  the  typical  Lizard.  Of  its  popularity  and  claims  to  greater  attention 
we  will  let  one  of  its  enthusiastic  breeders  speak.  "  In  asking  ourselves  why  the 
Lizard  is  not  so  great  a  favourite  as  other  varieties,"  writes  Mr.  W.  P.  Barnes,  of 
Grantham,  "we  are  led  to  consider  two  main  points:— (i)  The  period  of  its  show 
dress  ;  (2)  the  encouragement  afforded  it  on  the  show  bench.  In  considering  the 
first  of  these,  we  know  that  after  the  first  year's  moult  its  flights  and  tail  feathers 
become  fringed  with  a  silver  edging,  and  though  it  still  retains  its  value  in  the 
breeding  room,  it  can  never  be  afforded  a  place  on  the  show  bench.  With  regard 
to  the  second  point  which,  perhaps,  is  the  more  important  one,  as  it  does  not  affect 
