CAGE BIRDS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7978, 8 December 1911, Page 2

CAGE BIRDS

(By "Fancier.") Correspondence is invited from fanciers and others interested In this column, letters will bo treated confidentially, and questions answered (through tho column; at the earliest opportunity, betters should reach this ollico not later than Wednesday. TUB NORWICH FLAINHEAD CANA KY. This charming and popular variety I can advise any notice lo take up, as they are hardy, good breeders and songsters, ami it is not uillicnit now lo get birds that are sure to breed to type. The beginner should buy the best he can, not cheap ones. One naif of good ones are muon better than sJi pairs of poor ones. Sou can't expect to improve with quantity; it is quality that improves, and many good fanciers give up in disgust each year uirongn getting a bad start, it is nice io see the cages full of birds, 1 know; but fully to enjoy the pleasures of tho hobby you have got to breed.a winner. Borne landers are content to purchase their show birds, and scour the country for a fresh-team each year;, but my advice is; Breed, your own and deserve the honour. i will now try to describe the sort of slock that will be most useful for the novice to start with. The cock should he as near clear yellow us possible, with plenty, of size, a good round head, and short tail. This would be a useful stock bird, yet not a winner. To this cock you siiould run two hens. Tho first hen should be dear buff, as large as you can got, with good feather, short legs, and plenty of width at the point; also a full neck. Tho second'hen should be slightly variegated and bred from a yellow lion if possible. This hen must have good quality, be short in tho tail and have good wing carriage/also stand well across tho porch. From svich4it set vou should breed many useful stock birds, and it is quite possible to get a good show bird or two amongst them. Don’t expect too much the first season; but take'earc of all the young ones and build up your stock from them. From the first pair you will got size, and mostly' clear birds, if tho hen was bred from clears; from tho second hen you will get better colour and quality of feather. Tho young from these-two hens can the next season bo crossed again to improve size, shape, and quality, but don’t use any of them that have any sign of flat head or heavy long tail. Kon can improve size by pairing two buff’s together; that also produces tho much desir'od meal on the feather, but once ‘double buffing is as far as you should go. It is much safer to use yellow to buff, and buff to yellow, and only in very extreme cases double yellow, as this form of breeding lengthens the feather and causes loss of substance. If you get short or low iu colour, nso the varaegaled or green hens that usually turn up when two marked birds are.bred together. The Norwich is undoubtedly the bird of colour, and if you do not look after this point in the breeding any amount of colour food .will not improve it. 1 don’t advise using the cinnamon bred birds iu the production of.clear Norwich, for tho reason that if once yon introduce the blood you can never tell when it will show itself again, and it is tho cause of all tho pink-eyed birds'so often seen. Tho clear bird, with all good points, is the standard of perfection, so try, to. got your stock on that track, and by never using two birds together with Iho same defect you should stamp out any of them in three seasons. The worst to get rid of are the flat head and long, drooping tail. If your young hers have cither of these defects do not use them, except os feeders, as it (is now well known , that shape and symmetry spring from the female side.,and colour from (ho males in canaries, as in all species of live stock. ' ' .

The-standard of perfection as adopted by the Norwich Plainhead Club are: -

Colour—Beep, bright, pure, rich and level throughout. Shape—Head round, full and neat, neck short and thick, body short and chubby, with wide back well filled in. deep, broad and full chest. Feather—Soft and silky,-with brilliancy and compactness. Wings and Tail—Short, compact, and good carriage. Size—Well proportioned. Beak—Short and stout (clear). Eegs—Well set back (clear). Foot—Perfect. • Condition—Health, cleanliness, and sound feather. Streaked beak and marked legs to count against, a bird to their extent. Length—Not to exceed GJ inches.