THE BIRD FANCIER

Evening Star, Issue 19616, 23 July 1927, Page 16

THE BIRD FANCIER

[By Goldfinch.]

To bo out of the fashion one might ns well bo out of sight; Such is the belief with some of the fair sex these fast-living days, and probably there is a littlo truth in it, too. Tho presentday style among the girls and ladies is to bo slim or slender, not coarse or stout-lookingj • so it is that the Yorkshire caiiary is such a favorite with the Indies. It has these qualities and is in tho fashion. It has a neat head, a long neck, does not show a lot of front, is neat in feather, and has a long and, well-shaped body, with an extra lengtli of leg, which, of course, tho Norwich bird must not have.' Altogether it is a charming and sweet-looking bird and very graceful in its movements. _ So can one blame tho ladies for admiring such a specinwji in bird life in preference to tho other varieties? Years ago a Yorkshire show bird was put through the test of passing through am ordinarysize wedding ring, and some of the present-day birds can do that. a The breed is becoming more popular each year, and judging by the ever-increas-ing numbers on tho show benches it will not be long before the other breeds are loft far behind.

A good Yorkshire show bird is the most attractive canary to bo seen. It catches tho eye almost instantly. The head should be small and in uroportiou to the size of the body. A very small head would make the body appear too bulky, and with any having a, tendency to show eyebrows would spoil the appearance entirely. The neck should bn long and well filled in; a short, thick one is. inclined to give the bird a heavy appearance. The shoulders should bo narrow, rounded, and well filled in; no squareness should he noticeable on a good bird. The hack should be long, straight, and well filled in. Some birds have a tendency to droop or lean_ over' tho perch, making the back slightly round, and altogether spoiling a good appearance. The chest must he round and smooth and tho long body gradually tapering to a neat waist. Very often a few frills are shown. This is a very bad fault, caused by the chest being too narrow and not sufficiently round. By careful selection of pairing this defect can be largely eliminated. The legs aro perhaps tho most important part, for they have much to do with the set-off, balancing and carriage of the hir'd. Short logs make it look too stumpy, as they aro disproportionate with the length of the body. The tail should be long, straight, and narrow, or what is known as a piped tail. It should he closely folded and have a neat appearance. An extra long tail throws the bird off its balance when standing to attention. The body feathers must be close and tight —they cannot fit too closely on a Yorkshire canary. Too much feather gives a ragged and rough appearance, more especially around the thighs. Careful attention and feeding will help to minimise this difficulty. Good wing carriage shows the bird off to perfection. Crossing at the tips spoils the clean line from tho shoulders to the tip of the tail.

When pairing up time comes round one must be very careful not to pair two birds with the same faults; a mistake made cannot always be rectified in that respect; like tho words spoken, it cannot fie recalled.

Two birds paired with tlio same fault will only intensify that fault, and it will surely bo bred into generations to follow. It is the usual custom when pairing to try and improve the offspring and dispose of some blemish or fault. In doing so one should give strict consideration to the parents and grandparents, for although like produces like blood will toll, as there is always a tendency to-throw back to some earlier generation.