324 
Our  Canaries 
out  that  there  are  six  definite  "points"  on  which  alone  technical  "marks"  may- 
exist.  These  are  a  small  space  around  each  eye,  preferably  of  an  elliptical  shape, 
with  the  eye  centrally  placed ;  the  inner  secondaries  in  each  wing ;  and  the  outer 
sides  of  the  tail.  Any  dark  colour  on  any  of  these  points,  isolated  as  it  were  by 
surrounding  light  colour  is  termed  a  "  mark."  Thus,  with  a  bird  quite  clear  in  plum- 
age all  over  excepting  a  small  dark  patch  around  each  eye,  four  or  five  dark  second- 
aries on  the  inner  part  of  each  wing,  and  one  or  two  dark  feathers  on  each  outer  side 
of  the  tail,  we  shall  have  an  even-marked  bird,  and  a  six-pointed  one,  this  being 
the  acme  of  perfection  in  markings,  beyond  which  it  is  impossible  to  go  without 
falling  somewhat  heavily  into  the  variegated  type.  But  if  the  bird  possesses  two 
eye  marks  and  two  wing  marks  only,  or  two  wing  marks  and  two  tail  marks  only, 
or  two  tail  marks  and  two  eye  marks  only, 
it  will  still  be  an  even-marked  specimen, 
but  a  four-pointed  one,  having  marks  on 
only  four  technical  points.  Two  eye 
marks  only,  two  wing  marks  only,  or  a  mark 
on  each  side  of  the  tail  only,  again  con- 
stitute an  even-marked  bird,  but  a  two- 
pointed  one,  which  is  the  lowest  type  of 
even-marking  and  is  allowed  to  compete  in 
foul  or  ticked  classes. 
UNEVEN-MARKED  BIRDS. 
All  the  markings  we  have  just  de- 
scribed may  be  found  on  a  bird  in  combina- 
tion with  other  markings  on  various  parts 
of  the  body,  but  when  such  markings  occur 
the  bird  goes  into  the  variegated  class. 
When  any  particular  mark  on  one  side  of 
the  body  is  not  reproduced  on  the  opposite 
side  the  bird  becomes  an  uneven-marked 
specimen.  Thus  an  uneven-marked  bird 
may  have  one  eye  mark,  or  one  wing  mark, 
or  a  mark  on  one  side  of  the  tail,  making  it 
a  one-pointed  bird,  which  usually  ranks  as 
a  ticked  specimen.  A  three  -  pointed 
specimen  may  have  two  eye  marks  and  one 
wing  mark,  two  eye  marks  and  one  tail  mark,  two  wing  marks  and  one  eye 
mark,  two  wing  marks  and  one  tail  mark,  two  tail  marks  and  one  wing 
mark,  two  tail  marks  and  one  eye  mark,  or  one  eye,  one  wing  and  one 
tail  mark,  not  necessarily  on  the  same  side.  A  five-pointed  bird  will  have  either 
two  eye  marks,  two  wing  marks  and  one  tail  mark,  two  wing  marks,  two  tail 
Two-pointed  Border  Fancy. 
May  be  shown  in  foul  or  ticked  classes. 
