Our  Canaries 
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and  rape,  with  a  pinch  of  inga  and  maw,  three  times  a  week ;  this  will  keep  them 
in  good  health.  A  Frill  can  be  washed  with  ease,  providing  it  is  healthy,  and 
instead  of  spoiling  the  Frills,  as  many  say,  it  will  improve  them.  It  is  very  rare 
that  you  have  to  wash  the  bird,  as  the  Frill  is  passionately  fond  of  bathing,  but 
there  are  exceptions." 
WHAT  AN  EXHIBITOR  SAYS. 
Mr.  A.  E.  Brooks,  a  prominent  exhibitor,  kindly  sends  us  some  interesting 
notes.  In  his  words  :  "A  good  specimen  of  a  Dutch  Frill  is  a  large  handsome 
bird,  with  a  large,  full,  well-formed  head  ;  a  long,  straight,  full  neck ;  a  well-shaped 
body  of  considerable  length  ;  good  substantial  shoulders,  broad  and  massive,  but 
not  humped  like  a  Belgian ;  a  fine,  deep,  prominent  chest ;  a  good,  stout  waist ; 
long,  well-formed  legs ;  a  long,  compact,  sweeping  tail,  with  a  few  fine  feathers 
drooping  each  side  of  the  rump ;  and  a  bold,  erect,  and  noble  carriage.  In 
breeding  I  prefer  the  male  bird  to  excel  in  the  qualities  which  are  the  most  highly 
esteemed,  although  good  birds  are  sometimes  obtained  when  the  reverse  of  this  is 
carried  out.  If  you  possess  say  a  large,  strong  male  bird  with  great  length  of  body, 
good  legs,  a  fine  tail,  long  full  neck,  but  somewhat  narrow  in  shoulder,  and 
perhaps  not  quite  perfect  in  frill,  you  must  pair  him  with  a  hen  possessing  large 
shoulders  and  perfect  frills  ;  never  mind  if  she  is  somewhat  shorter  in  the  leg,  or 
neck,  she  has  the  chief  features  that  you  require  to  make  a  suitable  match  for  the 
male  bird  I  have  described.  What  I  wish  to  point  out  very  clearly  is,  never  put 
two  birds  together  possessing  the  same  points  of  merit,  unless  they  both  possess 
in  an  equal  degree  all  the  good  qualities  desired.  It  is  usual  to  pair  a  yellow  and 
buff  together;  it  will,  however,  be  found  very  advantageous  to  breed  from  two  buffs 
occasionally,  as  it  helps  materially  to  improve  the  size,  constitution,  and  feathers 
of  the  birds.  When  selecting  birds  to  breed  from  remember,  two-year-old  male 
birds  are  preferable  to  one-year-old,  and  their  produce  is  much  more  robust.  I  have 
heard  it  said  that  Dutch  Frill  hens  are  bad  feeders,  but  again  I  find  they  are  no 
worse  than  other  breeds. 
TRAINING  FOR  SHOW. 
"As  soon  as  the  young  are  able  to  feed  themselves  remove  them  to  a  large 
cage  so  that  they  have  plenty  of  room  for  exercise  which  will  be  found  very  beneficial 
both  to  their  health  and  well  being.  As  soon  as  you  have  a  Dutch  Frill  fit  for 
competition  you  must  commence  to  train  it  for  show  position.  This  is  done  in  a 
variety  of  ways,  and  depends  greatly  upon  the  disposition  of  the  bird.  If  the  bird 
is  at  all  nervous  you  will  need  to  exercise  great  care  especially  at  the  commence- 
ment. You  must  approach  it  very  leisurely,  speaking  to  it  and  chirruping.  You 
will  by  this  means  gain  the  confidence  of  your  pupil.  As  soon  as  it  appears  on 
friendly  terms  with  you,  lift  the  cage  and  move  it  about,  quietly  at  first,  then  more 
reely.  Scrape  your  finger  nail  along  the  bottom,  not  too  roughly ;  the  noise  will 
attract  the  bird's  attention  and  it  will  immediately  raise  itself  to  full  height, 
DD 
