Our  Canaries 
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front.  I  would  put  the  value  of  points  as  follows  :  fine  and  snaky  head,  5  ;  long 
and  reachy  neck,  10  ;  depth  of  chest,  25  ;  nicely  rounded  wings,  just  meeting,  5  ; 
length  of  leg,  and  well  set  back,  20;  long  tail,  brought  hard  against  perch,  10; 
circle,  10  ;  nerve  and  action,  15  ;  condition,  5.  This,  in  my  opinion,  is  about  the 
value  of  the  points  in  relation  to  one  another. 
"  Much  is  written  upon  the  evils  and  the  merits  of  sib  breeding.  With  care- 
ful sib  breeding  much  can  be  gained  in  the  Scotch  Fancy.  I  find  mating  once  *  in  ' 
and  three  times  '  out '  to  be  best,  as  you  retain  much  more  vigour  in  the  birds 
than  by  breeding  in  more  closely.  I  find  the  Scotch  Fancy  as  free  a  breeder  as 
any  other  variety." 
A    CREDITABLE  PERFORMANCE. 
"  To  breed  a  really  good  Scotch  Fancy,"  writes  Mr.  R.  Findlay,  of  Darvei, 
N.B.,  "  marks  one  in  the  Fancy  as  the  hero  of  the  year.  The  procedure  is  much 
on  the  same  lines  as  other  Canaries,  but  it  is  better  to  keep  feeders— either  Border 
Fancies,  or  common  Canaries  which  have  been  found  good  in  the  matter  of  the 
rearing  of  young.  In  mating  Scotch  Fancies  get  a  cock  with  prominent  shoulders, 
long  neck,  and  small  head,  with  a  tendency  to  keep  the  head  well  down  ;  if  he 
does  not  keep  his  head  below  the  line  of  the  top  of  his  shoulders  when  you  handle 
the  cage  do  not  mate  him.  The  hen  should  come  as  near  the  above  description 
as  possible,  but  the  lower  half  should  have  a  fine  curve  round  from  the  turn  of  the 
shoulder  right  down  the  whole  length  to  the  tip  of  the  tail,  showing  the  tail  in 
front  of  the  perch,  and  when  being  handled  the  head  must  be  well  drawn  forward, 
and  well  down.  Sometimes  a  depression  is  shown  between  the  shoulders.  This 
is  a  very  bad  fault.  The  shoulders  must  be  well  filled-in,  and  show  a  good  solid 
back.  By  careful  selection  you  can  work  out  this  fault,  and  also  stiffness  of  tail 
— a  weakness  inherited  from  the  Belgian.  To  breed  out  the  latter  fault  mate  with 
a  good  free-tailed  bird  so  that  this  stiffness  will  be  modified.  The  cock  exercises 
the  greatest  influence  over  the  progeny. 
"  To  improve  the  stock  see  that  in  introducing  fresh  blood  you  get  a  bird 
with  plenty  of  thickness  through  the  chest  to  the  top  of  the  shoulders ;  and  see 
that  it  has  a  long  neck,  and  small  head,  with  a  fine  curve  on  the  wings  and  tail. 
Beware  of  thin  chested,  thick  necked  birds,  with  stiff  back  and  tail— better  not 
have  them.    This  type  can  ruin  a  good  stock  for  years  to  come." 
POINTS  ABOUT  COLOUR  AND  MARKING. 
In  the  Scotch  Fancy  we  have  the  two  fundamental  colour  types— yellow  and 
buff— and  practically  every  degree  of  green  variegation  as  seen  in  such  breeds  as 
the  Norwich  or  Border  Fancy,  with  the  exception  that  technical  markings  such  as 
are  cultivated  in  even-marked  varieties  are  absent,  being  but  slightly  appreciated, 
if  at  all,  and  never  specially  striven  after.  Self  greens  are  also  of  common 
occurrence.  It  is  noteworthy,  however,  that  distinctive  terms  are  commonly 
applied  to  the  Scotch  Fancy  by  breeders  in  Scotland  and  the  Border  Counties. 
FF  2 
