Our  Canaries 
curl,  and  what  has  been  in  the  sunshine  a  magnificent  Frill  becomes  quite  a  plain 
bird  in  the  evening,  when  at  rest." 
THE   FRILL  AND   HOW  TO   BREED  IT. 
For  the  following  notes  upon  the  variety  we  have  to  thank  Mr.  W.  J.  Minty, 
of  Frome,  one  of  its  most  successful  breeders.  "  The  Dutch  Frill,"  he  writes,  "  is 
bred  throughout  the  Netherlands,  from  which  it  derives  its  name,  and  is,  in  my 
opinion,  one  of  the  best  exhibition  birds  of  the  present  day.  The  principal  re- 
commendation of  a  bird  of  this  description  is  its  feathers  overhanging  the  shoulders 
with  a  correct  parting  down  the  centre  of  the  back  between  the  shoulders,  and 
known  as  the  mantle;  the  feathers  on  the  breast  curl  or  twist  inward,  and 
intermix,  forming  a  mass  of  little  frills  across  the  body :  these  are  known  as  the 
breast  frills  ;  the  bunch  of  feathers  which  project  from  the  top  of  the  thigh  on  each 
side,  forming  a  downy  substance,  are  called  side  fins.  A  good  specimen  of  this 
particular  breed  should  carry  an  abundance  of  long,  soft,  leafy  feather,  as  well  as 
being  perfect  in  every  frill ;  the  flight  and  tail  feathers  should  be  very  long ;  then 
the  body  must  be  large,  with  plenty  of  thigh. 
"  In  France  fanciers  favour  the  green  blood,  and  I  quite  agree  with  them,  as 
the  green  or  variegated  bird  shows  itself  off  to  the  best  advantage,  and  commands 
a  much  better  appearance  than  the  clear.  It  must  not  be  taken  by  these  remarks 
that  an  inferior  variegated  bird  would  be  given  preference  over  a  good  clear  ;  but 
say  you  had  two  birds  of  equal  merit,  a  clear  and  a  variegated,  and  sent  them  out 
under  a  judge,  in  ten  cases  out  of  every  twelve  the  variegated  would  take  the  lead. 
The  Frills  are  very  free  breeders  but  unfortunately  the  majority  of  the  hens  refuse 
to  feed  their  offspring,  so  that  when  you  pair  the  Frills  together  you  require  at 
least  two  pairs  of  common  Canaries  for  feeders.  I  like  two  pairs  of  feeders  to  every 
pair  of  Frills,  and  get  them  all  in  breeding  condition  at  the  same  time  if  possible. 
The  first  week  in  April  I  pair  the  Frills ;  when  the  hens  commence  to  build  I  pair 
the  feeders,  and  as  a  rule  they  are  very  quick  to  nest.  By  pairing  them  in  this  way 
you  will  find  they  lay  about  the  same  time.  When  the  full  clutch  is  laid  I  transfer 
the  Frill  eggs  to  the  feeders  giving  the  Frill  hen  the  common  eggs.  In  this  way 
you  are  not  so  likely  to  overwork  the  hens  as  would  be  the  case  if  you  let  them  go 
on  nesting  without  a  rest;  the  second  pair  of  feeders  you  should  have  ready  in  case 
of  emergency. 
POINTS  OF  DETAIL. 
"  In  breeding  you  will  often  produce  birds  that  only  show  the  breast  frills  and 
no  mantle,  being  quite  smooth  on  the  shoulders,  whilst  others  have  only  one  side 
fin.  Birds  of  this  description  should  not  be  exhibited,  but  providing  they  are  large 
they  are  very  valuable  to  the  breeder  as  stock  birds.  The  most  critical  period  is  the 
moulting  season.  Frills  being  heavily  feathered  require  a  lot  of  attention  during 
the  moult.  As  far  as  my  experience  goes  Frills  require  most  liberal  feeding.  A 
good  stock  mixture  consists  of  equal  parts  Spanish  canary,  hemp,  linseed,  millet, 
