Our  Canaries 
341 
Sooner  or  later  either  one  breed  will  go  to  the  wall  and  be  absorbed  by  the  type 
which  finds  most  supporters,  or,  worse  still,  both  will  lose  their  hold  on  the  popu- 
lar mind,  and  at  best  flicker  weakly  on  the  verge  of  extinction.  These  few  re- 
marks are  worth  the  serious  attention  of  all  devoted  lovers  of  the  Scotch  Fancy 
and  the  Belgian  to  prevent  as  far  as  possible  any  over-lapping  or  clashing  of  the 
vital  interests  of  these  two  ancient  and  distinctive  breeds. 
THE  EARLY  TYPE. 
Some  recollections  of  the  early  days  are  sent  us  by  Mr.  Thos.  Smith,  of 
Glasgow;  who  writes  :  "  Half  a  century  ago  breeders  aimed  at  the  production  of 
what  was  known  as  the  '  Glasgow  Don,'  which  was  of  half-moon  shape.  Less 
attention  was  then  devoted  to  prominence  in  shoulder :  the  leading  feature  aimed 
at  was  the  production  of  as  much  circle  as  could  be  got,  accompanied  with  smart, 
active  movement.  Naturally  there  was  an  inclination  to  lean  over  the  perch,  but 
the  modern  breeder  of  those  days  preferred  the  erect  posture  type,  with  abundance 
of  reach,  and  a  small  snaky  head.    By  and  by  the 
desire  for  heavy  shoulders  became  very  prevalent, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  securing  that  quality  the  Bel- 
gian was  closely  affiliated  with  the  Scotch  Fancy 
to  put  the  erect  position  and  shoulder  into  the 
young,  and  produce  the  popular  Scotch  Fancy : 
erect,  snaky  head,  fine  reach  in  neck,  heavy  top, 
and  rare  depth  throughout  the  chest,  well  cleaned 
out  chest,  long  body,  and  the  tail  to  the  perch,  or, 
preferably,  the  tail  sweeping  right  under  the  perch. 
A  depression  between  the        Twenty  to  thirty  years  ago  a  good  breeding  Scotch 
shoulders  is  a  bad  fault.        Fancy  was  procurable  for  £2,  or  thereabouts,  and 
was  within  the  reach  of  any  who  had  a  liking  for  the  bird.    I  believe  that  is  one 
reason  why  it  was  for  a  long  time  immensely  popular  at  Scottish  exhibitions. 
THE  PRESENT  DIFFICULTY. 
"  Passing  on  to  the  present  time  the  chief  difficulty  in  the  breeding  of  the 
Scotch  Fancy  is  the  impossibility  of  getting  a  proper  Belgian.  It  has  become  so 
reduced  in  size  that  it  lacks  the  qualities  so  much  sought  after  in  the  crossing,  and 
now  breeders  have  to  fall  back  upon  mating  Scotch  Fancy  with  prominent  back 
to  Scotch  Fancy  with  heavy  top  to  supply  what  the  noble  Belgian  supplied  in  his 
time  of  popularity  and  usefulness  in  the  breeding  room.  The  Scotch  Fancy, 
thanks  to  the  wisdom  of  breeders,  has  retained  the  shoulder  or  heavy  top  so  well, 
that  it  has  not  lost  in  that  respect  to  the  extent  that  was  expected  with  the  re- 
moval of  the  Belgian  prop. 
"But  whilst  there  seems  to  be  ample  for  the  present  it  remains  to  be  seen  how 
the  bird  will  fare  in  the  future.  The  Scotch  Fancy  of  to-day  notwithstanding  its 
disability  from  the  Belgian  support  pretty  well  holds  its  own  in  point  of  size, 
