Wallace

Brent-Erect Belgium 1860-FSS Serin Hollandais-Jannin for FSS Nottm Review 1838.11.23 Toppins & Plainheads @ Royal Kids-FSS Lancs-Owen Saunders, Stockton on Tees 1908.10.18-FSS Lancs silver medal SLC&FA 1902 (Eastbourne Auctions)-FSS Royal Children-Thomas Cooper Moore 1890 (Walton House Antiques)-FSS Show report Crown & Cushion Nottm Journal 1838.11.09-FSS).jpeg Screenshot Le Serin Hollandaise Janin 1858-FSS

The Old Varieties, Part 5: the origins of the Lancashire Coppy

Posted on by Huw Evans 1 Comment
“It is not a long journey neither is it a very expensive one, so that anyone wishing to obtain high-class stock would do well to take a trip to the Continent.” R.L. Wallace, The Canary Book (1875) Thus began Wallace’s advice on how to import canaries from Belgium.  He gave details of the departures, the […]... Read More
Scots Fancies by J White 1896-FI

The Old Varieties, Part 4b: postscripts on the Scots Fancy canary

Posted on by Huw Evans 2 Comments
Due to the length of “Part 4: the origins of the Scots Fancy canary”, I divided the article into two parts.  Part 4b adds three postscripts.  The footnotes follow the same numbering sequence as Part 4a. Postscript 1:  The decline of the Scots Fancy canary The Scots Fancy declined both in popularity and quality towards […]... Read More

The Old Varieties, Part 4a: the origins of the Scots Fancy canary

Posted on by Huw Evans 3 Comments
“This in every way most remarkable canary is, as its name suggests, a creation of our neighbours across the Tweed, and is wholly and entirely an exclusive speciality, as is the ‘postuur vogel’ in Belgium, of which birds it is doubtless an offshoot, and is, in truth, the  ‘postuur vogel’ of Scotland.” W.A. Blakston in […]... Read More
Nottm Poultry show 1858 crop-FSS Wallace (1st Edn)-Belgian Crystal Palace 1874-FSS Blakston Belgian canaries colour plate-FSS Dewar 'ideal Belgian' C&CBA 1905.10.20-FSS C&CBL 1905.10.20 Dewar 2 photo-FSS Old and New type Belgian(St John)-FSS Belgian canaries at the Nottingham Poultry Show 1858-FI Morning Herald 1840.05.18 Mrs Freestone's ad for Belgian canaries-FSS.jpeg

The Old Varieties, Part 3: the Belgian canary in Britain

Posted on by Huw Evans 3 Comments
In 1853 Robert Wallace visited Joseph Greenwell, a bird dealer in the county of Durham, to purchase his first Belgian canaries (1).  He found several ‘old practical hands’ already waiting at Greenwell’s house, and a bidding war ensued as soon as he put the birds on display.  The type of bird they wanted was “so […]... Read More
LCA points scale-FI SoP Wallace-FSS L&LCFA SoP-FSS SoP Blakston-FSS SoP minute 9-1945

The curious case of the Lizard’s scales

Posted on by Huw Evans 6 Comments
Not the scales of a lizard, but of the Lizard. The Scale of Points for Lizard Canaries (to give it its official title) has been around for more years than any living person has been breeding them.  It is so well established that we never question its origins and assume things were always so, but […]... Read More
Lizard C&CBL-FI Clear cap guideline-fss Clear cap variations-fss Skull back or base-fss Wallace Lizard 1875-fss Three perfect caps

Lizard canary basics, Part 5: the perfect cap

Posted on by Huw Evans 4 Comments
“Have no fear of perfection; you’ll never reach it”.  Salvador Dali It might seem strange that I should return to the subject of the cap, not long having discussed the various forms of cap in some detail, but that is the nature of the Lizard canary: you can never stop looking and learning.  This time, […]... Read More