History, part 15: I wonder what he meant by that?

Posted on 18/08/2016 by Huw Evans Leave a comment

When the great French diplomat Talleyrand heard of the death of the Turkish ambassador, he allegedly asked “I wonder what he meant by that?” (1). In its absurdity lies a truth: people are always looking for hidden meanings in what others say and do. ... Read More

History, part 14: clear cap, broken cap, non cap

Posted on 01/08/201602/08/2016 by Huw Evans Leave a comment

Clear cap, broken cap, non cap. They are the basis of the Lizard classification. We are so familiar with these designations that we take them for granted, but have you wondered why they are so uninspiring? ... Read More

Bird’s eye view: the canaries of Midway

Posted on 29/07/201629/07/2016 by Huw Evans 6 Comments

I had never heard of the Midway canaries until I read Rosemary Low’s article in Cage & Aviary Birds (1). Midway is an atoll comprising two small islands in the middle of the Pacific ocean, but is widely known thanks to the name it gave to one of the pivotal naval battles of the Second […]... Read More

History, part 13: Galloway & the origin of the Lizard canary

Posted on 08/07/201608/07/2016 by Huw Evans 2 Comments

‘I have bred and now possess alive two Siskin-Canary hybrids, one with a perfectly shaped golden-yellow cap (most of the rest of the bird being dark-heavily variegated) and another with a beautiful silver-spangled back (most of the rest of the bird being clear) . . . The spangled back appeared at the first moult, just […]... Read More

Cinnamon canaries from Canaries, Hybrids & British Birds-FI

History, part 12: Rudolf Galloway’s theory

Posted on 26/06/201626/06/2016 by Huw Evans 2 Comments

“It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” – Sherlock Holmes in A Scandal in Bohemia. When Rudolf Galloway began keeping records of his breeding experiments with canaries and British finches in 1891, he was ahead of […]... Read More

Update

Posted on 17/06/2016 by Huw Evans Leave a comment

You may have noticed some changes in the menu bar at the head of the blog. I’ve created two new headings: Lizard Canary and History which contain duplicates of the posts from the original series. I hope this will make navigation easier for those who want to refer to these articles. There has also been some housekeeping under the Introduction heading because space […]... Read More

‘Edwardian Taxidermy Crested Canary’-fss

Bird’s Eye View: The London Folly canary

Posted on 10/06/2016 by Huw Evans 3 Comments

A fisherman saw something resting on the surface for three or four minutes before it did a surface roll underwater and disappeared. It was described as almost black in colour and close to a seal in size. What was this mysterious creature?... Read More

fine spangled sort

The London Fancy and the Lizard canary

history