Our  Canaries 
337 
always  in  a  minority,  and  a  really  stout,  chubby,  typical  yellow  hen  is  a  bird  to 
be  treasured  by  the  wise  and  prudent  breeder.  Such  a  hen,  especially  if  bred 
from  double-yellow  mating,  paired  to  a  big,  close-feathered  buff  cock  rarely  fails 
to  produce  something  far  above  the  average  of  typical  excellence.  In  resorting 
to  the  pure  green  to  improve  depth  of  colour  exceptionally  good  results  will  be 
gained  by  mating  a  moderate  sized  buff  hen  of  good  type,  and  preferably  a  clear 
bred  from  double-yellows,  to  a  good  yellow-green  cock,  with  neat  and  clearly 
defined  pencilling  on  back,  and  a  bright  clear  ground  colour  and  dark  legs  and 
beak. 
"  The  Norwich  Canary  of  to-day,"  writes  Mr.  C.  E.  Silk,  of  Emsworth,  "  is  a 
bird  more  admired  than  any  other  variety.  One  particular  point  I  would  impress 
upon  breeders  in  selecting  their  stock  is  that  one  can  never  breed  a  good 
bird  from  one  with  a  pinched  head.  Never  mind  how  good  other  points  are,  never 
breed  from  a  bird  having  a  bad  head.  Shape  and  quality  are  also  essential  in  a 
good  Norwich,  for  a  Norwich  without  shape  is  not  a  Norwich,  and  a  Norwich 
without  quality  cannot  win.  Size  will  come  from  a  good-headed  hen,  but  never 
from  a  pinched-faced  bird.  By  sticking  to  quality  colour  comes  with  it.  There 
is  not  half  the  trouble  to  get  the  colour  into  a  good  quality  bird  as  there  is  in  a 
coarse  specimen.  If  you  find  the  birds  a  bit  too  free  in  feather  mate  them  once 
double-buff.  This  will  often  work  wonders.  I  have  many  times  crossed  with  a 
good  buff  Cinnamon  cock.  It  is  surprising  what  a  lovely  texture  of  feather  this 
cross  gives.  It  also  improves  size,  and  I  find  Norwich  with  Cinnamon  blood  take 
colour  food  much  the  best.  I  would  not  recommend  double-yellowing,  because 
my  experience  is  that  the  young  come  very  scant  in  feather  and  show  too  much 
nakedness  about  the  thighs.  I  also  find  the  young  from  the  Cinnamon  cross 
splendid  birds  for  marked  breeding.    I  got  even-marks  from  the  second  cross." 
THE  EVEN-MARKED  VARIETY. 
The  popularity  of  the  even-marked  for  many  years  past  has  been,  unfortunately, 
of  a  negative  description.  In  former  days  it  was  one  of  the  most  popular,  as  it 
was  also  the  most  handsome  variety  of  markings  we  possessed.  But  it  lost  its 
hold  on  fanciers  generally  from  the  same  circumstances  and  at  the  same  period  as 
the  even-marks  in  other  breeds,  and  no  serious  attempt  seems  to  have  been  made  to 
revive  it.  That  such  a  revival  will  occur  there  can  be  little  doubt,  as  the  continued 
growth  of  the  Fancy  must  naturally  open  out  new  spheres  of  interest  in  the 
development  of  new,  and  the  resuscitating  of  old,  varieties,  and  the  even-marks 
have  only  to  be  staged,  so  to  speak,  to  bring  down  the  house,  and  win  a  large  body 
of  new  adherents.  The  Norwich  with  its  plump  and  chubby  shape  and  rich  deep 
colour  forms  an  ideal  structure  on  which  the  technical  marks  are  displayed  to  the 
greatest  advantage.  The  definition  of  markings  already  given  in  our  last  chapter 
applies  in  every  particular  to  the  Norwich  Plainhead.  The  full  six-pointed  bird, 
owing  to  the  presence  of  dark  underflue  which  almost  invariably  accompanies  the 
