The Breeding of 
Norwich Canaries. 
(129) 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
The Breeding of Norwich Canaries. 
By J. C. WILMOT. 
In bringing- the subject of Canary breeding 
before the readers of the Bird World, I have 
to say that the subject is so many-sided that 
the space at my disposal will only permit me to 
take a brief notice of some of the most impor¬ 
tant points—this with a view, not of enlighten¬ 
ing- the old fanciers, who are already familial 
with the subject, but, if possible, of saying a 
few words which may be helpful to any novices 
among them who may be aspiring to breed, at 
some future time, a Palace winner. First of all, 
canary, from which most, if not all, the different 
canary, from which most, if not all, the different 
varieties derive their origin. 
The Ancestor and its Descendants. 
You will see that the drawing which is here 
reproduced has very much the appearance of a 
Linnet, although the ground or body-colour is 
green; this bird was brought from St. Helena 
to London, and was exhibited in the Any Other 
Variety class at the Crystal Palace show in 1875. 
Such birds are to be found in a wild state in 
South Africa, in several of the islands in the 
Atlantic Ocean, and also in the Canary Islands. 
The most popular breeds of the present day 
are the Norwich, Yorkshire, Cinnamon, Scotch 
Fancy, Belgians, and Lizards, and in Scotland 
may be added the Border Fancy. I shall here 
confine my remarks to the first as the Nor¬ 
wich Canary is undoubtedly the most popular 
variety of all, and if there are any of my readers 
who intend to embark in the fancy, I 
should certainly advise them to commence with 
this, as there is generally a liberal classification 
for it at most shows, and there is not much diffi¬ 
culty in disposing of one’s surplus stock, especi¬ 
ally if the birds are of good quality. 
You have in the Norwich Canary a bird of 
excellent shape, not high-shouldered or hunch¬ 
backed like some other varieties I might men¬ 
tion, but a bird of lovely symmetry, of rich 
colour, and beautiful, silky texture of feather. 
They are also hardy birds compared with other 
varieties, and as a rule are excellent breeders and 
feeders. 
Management of Breeding Stock. 
With regard to breeding, I prefer to run one 
cock with two hens, and take away the cock 
from each hen after they have laid their third 
or fourth egg, as I find the hen sits better by 
herself. I generally put the cock bird back 
when the young are a few days old, as one may 
probably require his assistance in feeding when 
the hen goes again to nest, and a cock bird that 
looks well after the young is invaluable. 
It is generally considered advisable to remove 
the first three as they are laid, putting 
them back again on the evening of the third day, 
but I am not quite satisfied that this is the 
wisest plan. Another thing I should recom¬ 
mend to the novice is to meddle with the hen 
during incubation as little as possible; once, or 
at the most, twice a day is sufficient just to peep 
and see that all is right, and this is best done, 
whenever possible, when the hen is off the nest 
feeding. It is also advisable to keep a record 
of the date when the hen is set, so that you may 
know when to expect the eggs to hatch, and on 
the morning of the fourteenth day, if all is well, 
you may be rewarded by seeing one or more little 
gaping red mouths, ready for their breakfast. 
Rearing the Young. 
Much has been written against the use of hard- 
boiled egg, but the general opinion is that there 
is nothing to equal it for young birds. Boil the 
egg for about 15 minutes, and for the first few 
days give only the yolk mixed with an equal 
quantity of either biscuit or bread-crumbs; after 
that you can, if you prefer, grind up the white 
with the yolk and add biscuit or bread-crumbs 
as heretofore, but remember that the food 
must be sweet and fresh. Let the hen also have 
at this time a spoonful of hempseed daily, as 
this is always relished by them, and the opera¬ 
tion of cracking the hemp keeps the hen off the 
young for a short time, and helps to prevent 
sweating the young. Also let the hen have a 
bath daily after the young are four or five days 
