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Our  Canaries 
CPiAPTER  XXIV. 
THE    SCOTCH  FANCY. 
FEW  breeds  of  our  Canaries  have  raised  so  much  controversy  and  diversity 
of  opinion  regarding  a  standard  type  as  the  Scotch  Fancy,  and  none  has 
shown  a  greater  change  in  physical  conformation  than  the  modern  type  compared 
with  the  old  semi-circular  type  of  bird  which  was  considered  the  correct  thing  in 
the  early  days  when  the  bird  was  at  the  zenith  of  its  popularity.  In  those  days 
it  was  known  generally  as  the  "  Glasgow  Don,"  and  a  good  type  of  bird  possessed 
far  greater  claim  to  the  popular  term  "  a  bird  o'  circle  "  which  was  applied  to 
the  breed  than  do  our  present-day  high-shouldered  and  square-topped  birds. 
A  good  type  of  the  Don  would  really  possess  in  outline  some  close  re- 
semblance to  a  semi-circle  or  half-moon  shape,  which  no  stretch  of  imagination 
can  justly  apply  to  the  square-topped  modern  type.  It  had,  too,  in  our  opinion, 
superior  claims  to  artistic  beauty  and  elegance  ;  it  was  a  bird  of  distinction,  set 
apart  by  its  agreeable  and  harmonious  array  of  beautiful  curves,  in  striking  con- 
trast with  the  modern  type,  which  is  apt  to  convey  an  impression  of  an  unsuccess- 
ful attempt  to  blend  a  mixture  of  curves  and  angles  to  the  detriment  of  both. 
Speaking  for  ourselves,  we  would  gladly  see  a  reversion  to  the  original  and  grace- 
ful "  bird  o'  circle  "  type,  leaving  the  prominent  shoulders  and  low  carriage  of 
head  to  the  Belgian  from  which  they  have  admittedly  been  borrowed. 
CONFUSION  OF  TYPES. 
That  the  blending  of  these  two  breeds  has  been  fraught  with  evil  results  to  the 
general  welfare  of  both  is  now  largely  recognised.  It  has  undoubtedly  contributed 
in  no  small  measure  in  various  ways  to  the  decline  of  both  breeds  in  popularity, 
by  bringing  them  into  such  close  juxtaposition  as  to  over-lap  each  other  and  bring 
about  such  a  confusion  of  type  as  to  leave  little  or  no  strongly  marked  dividing 
line  to  show  where  Belgian  ends  and  Scotch  Fancy  commences.  The  confusion 
has  been  carried  so  far  that  crosses  between  the  two  breeds  have  at  times  been 
awarded  the  bulk  of  the  honours  on  the  show  bench,  and  might  also  be  found 
exhibited,  as  opportunities  occurred,  as  either  variety.  Such  an  unsatisfactory 
state  of  affairs  must,  and  will  if  allowed  to  continue,  ultimately  prove  a  fatal 
principle,  and  crush  one  or  both  breeds  out  of  existence.  It  should  therefore  be 
the  endeavour  of  all  devoted  breeders  to  encourage  a  fixed  and  pure  type,  and, 
above  all,  to  make  it  distinct  from  the  Belgian  so  that  no  confusion  of  type  can 
reasonably  exist.  A  bad  Belgian  can  never  be  a  Scotch  Fancy,  nor  an  indifferent 
Scotch  Fancy  a  Belgian,  and  a  first-cross  should  never  be  permitted  to  become 
either.  Nothing,  indeed,  can  be  more  insidiously  dangerous  than  to  bring  two 
distinct  breeds  into  such  close  juxtaposition  that  the  essential  points  are  lost  in 
the  confused  elements  which  must  prevail  where  the  types  meet  and  blend. 
