Our  Canaries 
301 
years  to  come  will  be  a  bird  of  the  past.  I  believe  blindness  originally  to  be  the 
result  of  breeding  from  immature  and  weakly  specimens,  and  intensified  by  in- 
breeding injudiciously,  and  also  from  afflicted  birds,  and  not  from  excess  of 
feather.  Prevention  is  better  than  cure,  and  the  only  effort  I  am  now  making  is  to 
keep  the  stock  birds  as  healthy  as  possible,  giving  plenty  of  room  for  exercise  ; 
plenty  of  bathing,  fresh  air  and  light ;  and  weeding  out  all  unsound  specimens." 
Quite  recently,  Mr.  Greeves  again  wrote  us :— "  I  have  ample  evidence  that 
the  decision  arrived  at  not  to  allow  blind  or  partly  blind  birds  to  compete  for  prizes 
was  a  wise  one.  There  has  never  been  any  doubt  in  my  mind  but  that  the  disease 
was  hereditary.  In  my  own  case  (and  I  know  of  others)  this  has  been  verified  by  the 
absence  of  blindness  since  I  adopted  the  drastic  method  of  weeding  out  all  bhnd 
specimens.  To  breed  from  birds  affected  was  to  perpetuate  the  disease.  The 
method  I  adopted  was,  in  my  opinion,  the  only  remedy,  and  I  have  now  cause  to 
rejoice  that  I  had  the  courage  to  do  it.  Blind  birds  do  crop  up,  but  it  is  now  quite 
a  rarity  for  me  to  have  one,  and  then  it  is  an  old  bird.  I  have  been  able  to  work 
my  stock  up  since  I  started  weeding  out,  and  to  maintain  the  desired  points  in  an 
equally  good  proportion.  It  was  costly,  and  required  unlimited  patience  ;  but 
effectual." 
This  happy  result  being  the  outcome  of  a  very  few  years'  weeding-out  of  all 
afflicted  specimens  speaks  eloquently  for  the  future  under  a  similar  regime,  and 
must  convince  the  most  short-sighted  fancier  of  the  extreme  folly  of  giving  way  to 
any  temptation  to  use  an  afflicted  specimen  for  breeding,  though  it  be  of  the  very 
highest  quality.  It  must  be  admitted  that  it  is  most  frequently  the  cream  of  one's 
stock  that  are  thus  afflicted.  But  in  barring  them  from  the  breeding  cage  one  can 
rest  assured  that  the  sacrifice  will  bring  future  gain. 
Mr.  W.  Haysom  writes  us  inter  alia:— ''I  have  found  best  results  from  a 
Crested  cock  with  a  big,  heavy  crest,  and  a  good,  round-headed  Crest-bred  hen, 
with  not  too  much  lash,  but  good  length  and  thick  feather  on  head.  A  hen  with 
plenty  of  lash  is  likely  to  breed  birds  with  splits  and  twists  in  crest.  1  like  a  nice 
round,  daisy-shaped  crest,  not  as  if  pasted  on,  but  a  lively  crest  that  you  can  see 
move  when  you  are  looking  at  it." 
STANDARD    OF  PERFECTION. 
We  close  our  remarks  upon  the  breed  with  the  modern  Standard  of  Perfection 
drawn  up  by  the  Crested  Canary  Club,  which  fully  describes  what  a  perfect  bird 
should  be  in  the  Crest  and  Crest-bred  classes.  No  table  of  points  is  adopted  for 
the  standard  of  these  birds. 
THE  CREST. 
Size  and  formation  shall  be  the  first  consideration.  A  crest  cannot  be  too 
large.  It  should  consist  of  an  abundance  of  broad,  long,  and  veiny  feathers, 
evenly  radiated  from  a  small  centre,  well  over  eyes,  beak  and  poll.  A  good  crest 
may  be  flat  if  well  filled  in  at  back,  and  without  splits,  but  a  drooping  and  weeping 
crest  shall  have  the  preference. 
