Our  Canaries 
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merits  of  any  given  bird  for  stock  purposes.  In  this  connection  only  inherited 
natural  colour  will  weigh,  and  therefore  in  estimating  the  colour  value  of  a  stock 
bird,  unless  something  is  known  of  its  pedigree  or  its  natural  colour,  allowance  has 
to  be  made  for  the  extent  to  which  its  colour  may  be  due  to  colour  feeding,  and  if 
this  is  not  known  the  safest  plan  is  to  take  no  unnecessary  risks  but  to  treat  it  as 
one  possessing  only  moderate  natural  colour. 
COLOUR  CONTENTIONS 
Though  richest  in  natural  colour,  the  Norwich  Plainhead  has  always  been  one 
of  the  deepest  colour-fed  breeds  ever  since  the  practice  came  into  vogue,  and  some 
of  the  contentions  on  this  point  are  casually  alluded  to  in  the  following  notes  by 
Mr.  H.  Wright,  of  Norwich,  one  of  the  oldest  breeders.  "  I  started  Canary 
breeding  in  1868,"  he  writes,  "  with  two  pairs  of  Norwich  Plainheads.  The  birds 
were  smaller,  stood  more  upright,  were  narrower  and  slimmer,  and  showed  more 
leg — half  up  the  thighs — but  they  were  tight  in  feather  and  of  a  good  natural  colour, 
which  we  used  to  improve  by  giving  them  marigolds  and  saffron  in  the  water. 
Then  if  you  bred  a  good  coloured  bird  you  got  the  credit  for  it.  This  was  soon 
ended  when  Messrs.  Bemrose  and  Orr  exhibited  the  K.N.  fed  birds  in  St.  Andrew's 
Hall,  Norwich.  (I  made  my  debut  at  an  exhibition  at  this  show,  and  won  H.C. 
for  a  '  cage  of  four.').  As  time  went  on  classes  were  provided  for  K.N.  and  non- 
K.N.  fed  birds,  when  a  bird  with  good  natural  colour  would  be  passed  at  one  show, 
and,  perhaps,  get  first  at  the  next.  Then  schedules  began  to  read  'natural  colour,' 
but  still  the  same  thing  went  on — first  at  one  show,  passed  for  too  much  colour  at 
the  next — until  the  question  of  colour  was  left  open.  To  get  a  good  level  colour 
you  must  start  feeding  three  weeks  before  the  moult  begins.  Many  believe  birds 
come  patchy  in  colour  because  they  are  not  fed  regularly,  but  the  real  cause  is  not 
beginning  to  feed  in  time.  I  have  fed  birds  once  a  week,  and  they  came  even  in 
colour.  In  fact  this  is  the  way  to  feed  them  a  good  natural  colour,  or  just  a  shade 
higher,  but  you  must  leave  off  giving  the  feed  as  soon  as  you  see  the  new  quills 
coming  on  the  head,  as  there  will  be  enough  colour  in  the  blood  to  finish  them  off 
level  in  colour." 
POINTS  FOR  BREEDERS. 
Upon  the  subject  of  mating  and  improving  the  general  type  of  one's  stock, 
Mr.  J.  C.  Barnes  has  kindly  contributed  the  following  hints.  "  In  pairing  up  I 
prefer  a  buff  cock  to  yellow  hen.  In  most  cases  the  progeny  come  out  with  more 
bone,  and  are  larger  than  when  a  yellow  cock  is  paired  to  a  buff  hen.  Should  a 
cock  bird  be  rather  small  in  head,  pair  him  to  a  broad,  large-headed  hen ;  if  he 
appears  a  little  too  long,  run  him  with  an  extra  short  hen.  If  you  have  a  bird  that 
is  inclined  to  be  browy,  don't  discard  it  if  it  is  well-bred  and  silky  in  feather,  but 
pair  it  to  one  that  is  perfectly  free  from  browing.  Always  endeavour  to  keep 
thick  necks  in  your  Norwich — you  cannot  get  a  neck  too  thick.  Double-buffing 
thickens  the  neck. 
