Beeton's book of poultry and domestic animals - Thurman Lodge ...

tliree erperienced birds, and very curious it is to see the young
novices endeavouring to imitate the manoeuvres of their elders.j
Let them stay out for a couple of hours, and then recall them
by strewing their board (which, as before mentioned, must be
painted a bright white) with canary-seed. Never let them out
on foggy or very windy days, as they are very apt to lose
themselves under such circumstances.
Eespecting " short-faced " tumblers, a variety high in favour
with fanciers, no more need be said, than that it matters little
what their colour may be, so that, hke a satisiied Chartist, they
possess the " five points." These points are, one of the eye,
one of the beak, one of the head, one of feather, and one of
carriage. The head should be round, broad, and high; that is
to say, having a fuU forehead, rising abruptly, and rather
overhanging the beak, so as to form an acute angle where
the head and beak join, or, as the fanciers say, have a good
stop.
Fanciers resort occasionally to the shameful practice of
breaking the beak or nose, when young, to improve the
" stop;" but this often gives the birds an up-beaked appear-
ance.
The wattle must be very fine and narrow, so as to leave but
httle space between the beak and the feathers of the head,
which should show a sudden rise from the base of the beak.
The heak should not exceed five-eighths of an inch, measured
from the iris of the eye to the end of the quick of the beak, but
the shorter the better, straight, and fine, and it has been compared
to that of a goldfinch. Paring or cutting the beak is
resorted to by some dishonest persons ; but it is generally
easily to be detected by practised eyes, and spoils the appear-
ance. If the young are reared by too coarse nurses, they often
have their backs wrenched or twisted, which makes them
unsightly or parrot-beaked. The eye should be of a bright
clear pearly white, the fuUer and more prominent the better
and there must be no naked skin or cere round it. 'zi the!
best-headed birds the eye often appears rather below the
centre of the head. A broken or muddy eye spoils the pret-
tiest face.
The form of the bird should be small and compact, short
thin ne)k, fuU chest, short back, tail and pinion feathers also
short, and feet small, the carriage mincing, or, as it is vulgarly
but expressively termed, " gingerly," head well thrown back,
neck curved, chest up, pinions sweeping below the tail, the birr?
;