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3 tHE
ROLLER
CANARY
ITS BREEDING, REARING, AND
TRAINING
BY
H. W. Gutierrez and other Experts.
: *&
TWO SHILLINGS NET.
Published by
POULTRY WORLD LIMITED,
Dorset House, Stamford Street, London, S.E.1.
ee
Claperns NATURE FOOD
Supreme for rearing, conditioning and colour feeding Canaries
3d., 6d., I/-, 2/- and 5/- packets from Corn, Seed and Pet Shops
CAPERNS LTD., LEWINS MEAD, BRISTOL, I.
Branches : LONDON, GLASGOW and LIVERPOOL
Cf Umno
THE ROLLER CANARY.
st
V i te
Wire
4
THE
ROLLER CANARY.
ITS BREEDING, REARING, AND
TRAINING.
By H. W. GUTIERREZ
and other Experts.
FIFTH EDITION.
erg
POULTRY.WORLD_ LIMITED
é- Stamford Street} ondon, S.E.1.
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‘
CHAPTER
I
II
XVI
XVII
XVIII
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION . ° . . . .
SELECTION OF BREEDING STOCK . .
THE BREEDING SEASON . : ° °
EDUCATION BEGINS . .
ON BUILDING A STRAIN ° . .
AUTUMN MANAGEMENT . . °
DEVELOPMENT OF SONG
GLUCK AND WATER ROLL . . . .
TRAINING ROLLERS FOR COMPETITIONS . .
SELECTING THE SCHOOLMASTERS . °
THE INHERITANCE OF SONG . .
THE ROLLER’S SONG IN MUSICAL NOTATION .
SIMPLE CONTINUOUS TOURS IN ROLLING FORM
SIMPLE DISCONTINUOUS TOURS IN BELL-LIKE
FORM . ° . ° . °
COMPOUND TOURS, PARTLY IN ROLLING,
PARTLY IN BELL-LIKE FORM
FAULTS IN SONG : . . . .
THE BELL TOURS . . ° . °
THE JUDGING OF ROLLERS : ? ?
5
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THE ROLLER CANARY
CHAPTER) “I
INTRODUCTION
B stress the first edition of ‘‘ The Roller Canary ”
appeared there was little written in these islands
expounding the song or dealing with the
training of the Roller Canary. Time has emphasized
the need of a text book within reach of all lovers of the
British Roller Canary, and which, if they are blessed
with a musical ear, will enable them not only to breed
and rear these lovely songsters, but will educate them
in the multiplicity of his tours and their variations and
thus place them in a position to appreciate in full the
excellent and good, as well as to condemn the unworthy
and the bad.
In the case of a novice, the help and guidance gained
from his fellow breeders who are familiar with the tours
will profitably and effectually be supplemented by what
he finds here, and if, in the light of the explanations and
definitions given him in this work, he studies his own
birds at home and those of others he may come across,
it will be a frequent source of interest and pleasure to
him.
“The Roller Canary” is based upon experiences of
both English and foreign breeders, and I have no
hesitation in saying it is authoritative. Tastes differ;
experts differ, and many experts may not agree with all
-
8 THE ROLLER CANARY
that is laid down here. I venture to hope that it will
prove useful and educative and interesting to all.
The reader is asked to pardon the use of foreign
words, and foreign vowels. As regards the former, most
of them are manufactured in imitation of the notes of
the birds. As regards the vowels, it is common know-
ledge that our five English vowels do not represent all
the vowel sounds, such for instance as the French or
Welsh ‘“‘u,’ the Italian ‘‘o,” etc. I have therefore set
forth a short simple list of vowel signs and their English
equivalents, and the reader will find it easy to familiarize
himself with them.
Vowels used in this treatise and their English
equivalents :
a is pronounced as a in papa, haha.
e is pronounced as our short a in mate, rate.
i is pronounced as e in fee, glee.
o is pronounced as 0 in go, no.
u is pronounced as oo in pool, cool.
a is pronounced as our long a in hay, way.
6 is pronounced as u in fur, cur, without rolling
the 6,”
ui is the French or Welsh u; it is pronounced as ee
(fee) with the lips rounded, and almost closed, as in
ee ”»
whistling ; the sound is half-way between our “u” and
a
This edition has been thoroughly revised and much
new matter added, so that “The Roller Canary ”’ as it
now appears is indeed an authoritative and valuable text
book, and an authority on all that pertains to the
Breeding, Rearing and Training of the Roller Canary.
THE EpITor.
CHAPTER Il
SELECTION OF BREEDING STOCK
\ GOOD start is everything in a race or a battle,
even so in the breeding of Roller Canaries.
There are two or three points we would impress
most forcibly upon our readers. The first is to start
with birds of one strain, the second to have none but
thoroughly healthy birds, and the third is to select the
breeding stock and let it be in the breeding room as
soon after the finish of the moult in the autumn as it
is possible.
The reasons why? The man who has a successful
strain of birds has made it by continued and persistent
selection over many years, so that you are, in buying
stock from such a man, buying the results of his skill
and experience. When birds of varied strains are mated
together the result is never, or hardly ever, satisfactory,
because the blood does not hit. Then health. Birds
that are not healthy are useless as breeders as they pro-
duce nothing but weak, delicate progeny that is of little
use. Thirdly, when birds are placed in the room in
which they are to be mated in the autumn and live in it
all through the winter they become accustomed to their
surroundings, their food, and their attendants, and the
results are infinitely better than when they are only
introduced to the breeding room just previous to being
mated up. This applies more particularly to hens than
cocks.
9
10 THE ROLLER CANARY
Those who reside in London, Manchester, Bolton,
Leeds and other large towns have a great advantage
over those who live in country districts, as they are able
to join one or other of the Roller Canary Clubs and by
associating with the members learn much as to the value
of birds and where the best are to be found. Those not
so situated are dependent on the reports of contests which
appear in “‘ Cage Birds,” and the advertisement pages
of that journal.
BUY FROM THE BEST STRAINS.
In making a start the novice who is without previous
experience of the Roller Canary should secure birds from
a first-class strain, but he should not buy the best, that
is, competition stock, as because of his lack of knowledge
and experience he may quickly reap much disappoint-
ment and waste a lot of money.
For the first season or two it is wise to go slow so
as to learn not only how to breed and rear the young
properly, but also to gain all the knowledge possible as
to the song. Knowledge it takes years to acquire.
We have said the stock should be purchased in the
autumn, especially the hens. It is not always possible
to buy young cocks from a good strain in the early
autumn, as many breeders will not sell young cocks until
they have tried them out, and tested their song. It is,
however, possible to purchase young hens, and yearling
or two year old cocks, and the best results are likely to
result from the breeding of youth and age. It is not
wise to breed from first season birds only. Experience
teaches that the best results are achieved when there is
age on one side or the other.
THE ROLLER CANARY II
THE TOWNSMAN’S ADVANTAGE
We have spoken of the advantages possessed by those
who live in towns and cities where Roller Canary Clubs
are in existence; introductions and recommendations to
noted breeders are easily obtained through the officials
of such clubs. The best men in these clubs are always
ready and willing to do what they can to help a new
beginner. Whether you buy from someone to whom
you have had a personal introduction, or from someone
whose advertisements have caught your eye, it is wise
to place yourself unreservedly in their hands. Tell them
exactly what money you can afford to spend, and also
what you are desirous of accomplishing. If you are
hoping to join the ranks of exhibitors, or if you are
only about to indulge in the breeding of Roller Canaries
as a hobby without any idea of entering competitions it
is wise to let the persons from whom you are buying
know just what your ambition is. There are few old
fanciers who will take advantage of a novice, that is if
he places himself unreservedly in their hands.
BUYING FROM STRANGERS
Although we advise the beginner not to purchase
first-class birds at the start yet we just as emphatically
urge upon him the importance of purchasing his initial
stock from a first-class strain. By so doing he may
possibly breed a champion right away, and even if he
does not, the young birds which he does breed will sell
far better, because of their pedigree, than would birds
that were mere songsters.
Those who are not able to secure an introduction to
a high-class breeder should study well the competition
12 THE ROLLER CANARY
reports in “‘ Cage Birds,” select a breeder who has been
successful and write to him, stating their requirements,
and at the same time asking him for prices and particu-
lars of birds he may have to sell.
Now a word of caution—don’t send money to
strangers. If you decide to purchase, deposit the money
with the Editor of ‘“ Cage Birds,” who will hold it until
such time as the transaction is complete.
This deposit system protects both buyer and seller.
The buyer knows that his money will not be sent to the
seller until the deal has been completed to his satisfac-
tion, and the seller knows that he is certain to be paid
when the deal is complete. One cannot always be sure
when dealing with strangers that they will play the
game. ‘Therefore, make “Safety First”? your motto.
To the credit of the Fancy it must be said seldom does
one hear of sharp practices.
Those who are experienced can select hens equally
as well as they can select cocks. They can detect music
in the call note. Depth of song is of the greatest im-
portance, and those who are experienced select those hens
for breeding which possess a deep, mellow call note.
The advantage of going to a good man, that is a
breeder of experience, is that you are buying pedigree
and all it carries with it in stamina and song. Stamina
is essential, not only because of what it does in the way
of power of song, but also because birds from a strain
noted for stamina are generally good breeders and good
feeders. That is, they are prolific, and tend their young
well. Sickly, weakly, delicate birds are of no use to
anyone. They are an unending source of annoyance
and disappointment. Therefore, do we say—that in all
your buying see to it that you buy healthy stock.
THE ROLLER CANARY 13
Birds that are healthy are bright and full in the eye,
their plumage lies close and compactly, they are brisk
in their movements, their notes are clear and distinct,
and their excreta is firm and of a natural colour. Avoid
birds who pass excreta that is greenish in colour, and
slimy in texture.
BREEDING FROM TUTORS
One is often asked if it is advisable to use a tutor for
breeding, and if the same would spoil the song. If a
tutor can be kept without being mated in his first year,
then it is always advisable to do so. Widely different
methods are necessary in the case of a tutor and a stock
male bird. The former is to be kept in pure song, with
the ultimate object of being used to transmit this song
to the young birds. While on the stock bird we depend
for the correct fertilization of all eggs laid by the hens
to which he will be mated.
To keep the tutor in low and faultless song, it is
necessary that the bird should be kept in a cabinet, with
restricted light, and a nourishing, but not too stimulating
diet. With the stock male, the reverse is the case. To
be successful in obtaining fertile eggs, the male bird
must be vigorous and strong. He must be given plenty
of exercise, and at the proper time the diet must be both
rich and stimulating. This must be kept up all the way
through the breeding season, otherwise the first nest may
be good, but the second and third not so satisfactory.
The fact that stock birds are too closely confined im-
mediately prior to pairing to their respective hens is
responsible for many failures. Stock males should be
given all the exercise possible, and if a large aviary is not
14 THE ROLLER CANARY
available then the birds should be placed in a large flight
cage for some time before mating. Fanciers will have
to be prepared to sacrifice a little in song in order to
obtain this required condition.
CHAPTER’ Ill
THE BREEDING SEASON
stock on St. Valentine’s Day, and some there are
who do it now, but those who are wise do not pair
up their birds until the second or third week in March.
This means that the first broods may be expected about
the first or second week in April. This gives ample
time for four nests to be taken before the end of the
season in July. Many take only three nests. They
think more of conserving the strength and energy of
their breeding stock than they do of the obtaining of
an extra nest of young. Wise men. They are to be
commended.
|: olden days it was the practice to mate up breeding
KEEP STRANGERS AWAY
When canaries are breeding many seem to be very
nervous and excitable, and while they are not upset by
the presence of one who usually takes care of them, they
are quick to notice strangers, and will stop the work in
which they are engaged during their presence. This
is especially noticeable at the time when hens are feeding
young birds. A good rule is to prevent if possible
persons going into the breeding room while the birds
are nesting. When birds are used to strangers no ill
effects arise. Some fanciers have visitors in their rooms
every week, and the birds are used to strangers, thus
15
16 THE ROLLER CANARY
no harm is done, but when birds are not used to strange
voices at ordinary times they should not be allowed to
be disturbed during the breeding season.
NEVER BREED LATE
It is a great temptation when one has had a bad
breeding season to take “‘just one more nest,” so as to
level things up. More often than not it levels them
down. The early bad luck has possibly been due to
the fact that one or other of the parent birds has not
been in first-class condition, and to take a further nest
of eggs from them would mean a further tax on an
enfeebled and delicate body. Good, or bad, though the
season be—never breed late.
Many of the troubles which afflict the Canary breeder
are due to late breeding. Late-bred birds never moult
properly, the season is against them, and late breeding
retards the moult of the old birds. A slow moult,
or a retarded moult, is never a healthy moult, and the
evil consequences of such are sure to be manifest in the
next breeding season. It means impaired health and
vitality in the stock.
THE BREEDING CAGES
There is a great difference in the ways in which
fanciers conduct their breeding operations. Some use
small flights into which they turn six or eight hens and a
couple of cocks, others run two or three hens with one
cock in a large flight cage, and others run two hens with
a cock in what are known as double-compartment
breeding cages, whilst others, whether they run a cock
THE ROLLER CANARY 17
with one, two, or three hens let each hen have a separate
cage, running the cock with each hen in rotation. We
do not care for this system. The best results come from
individual pairs, and never would we run more than two
hens with a cock. If one desires to keep up the vigour
and stamina of the stock one cock to one hen is the best
way to secure that end.
FITTING THE CAGES
The cages may be hung on the wall, or stacked in
frames, but when stacked they should not touch each
other, and never should they touch the wall. Keep
them away from the wall and stack by small screws, and
thus avoid breeding grounds for red mite.
The cage should be 20 ins. long, 11 ins. deep from
front to back, and 18 ins. high. The nest pan should be
fixed at the back, being hung on a screw, and at such a
height that the old birds may feed the young easily
whilst standing on the perch which runs from front to
back. The cage should have two such perches fixed
about 4 ins. from the end of the cage. The seed and
drinking vessels should be fixed on the outside of the
cage, and there should be a couple of egg drawers, either
in the front woodwork or else in the wirework. One of
these can be used for egg food or its substitute, and one
for tit-bits in the way of special seeds.
SAND OR SAWDUST
Never neglect the provision of a bath pan. Let your
birds bathe every other day. It will keep them healthy
and keep down insect life.
B
18 THE ROLLER CANARY
There is division of opinion on the use of sand or
sawdust on the floor of the cage. We prefer the former.
Sawdust gets in the food and on the top of the water,
and as it is not digestible does a great deal of harm to
the young birds. Clean the cages out twice a week,
scatter a fair covering of fine gritty sand on the bottom,
and we believe you will meet with more success than if
you adopt the other system of sawdust on the floor and
sand in a tin or tray. Often the latter is forgotten, and
grit is as essential to the welfare of birds as is food.
Wash the perches every week. Remember that cleanli-
ness is a great aid to success. The cages should be
thoroughly cleansed before the birds are mated up.
LET THEM BE FIT
When the birds are paired they should both be
thoroughly fit. Never pair birds unless they are full of
life, vivacity, and movement. When birds are quiet
and listless in their movements they are not fit to under-
take the task of bringing other birds into the world.
As pairing time approaches—long days and mild weather
—the hens that are fit will be hopping and flying about
the cages carrying pieces of fluff, strong feathers, or
other light material that may find its way into the cages.
They will be quick and active in their movements,
standing on the perches flapping their wings and calling
to the cocks. When these signs are observed in a hen,
you may justly conclude she is ready for mating. But be
sure all these signs are present. The cocks are generally
ready before the hens. But be sure they are ready
before you start pairing.
Look at the motions of your stock. The excreta
THE ROLLER CANARY 19
from healthy birds is black, with tips of white, which
denote the passage of uric acid, and which is the natural
way of elimination of this acid from the birds. Signs
of poor condition are feathers carried loosely, birds
inactive, sitting at the end of the perches with feathers
puffed out like a ball. Lack of song in the male birds,
and no calling from the hens. Looseness in the excreta,
and the same being of a different colour. Birds with an
unusually large appetite for soft food, and eating very
little seed. The causes of loss of condition are of course
numerous, but the principal ones are lack of fresh air,
fluctuating temperatures, draughts, insufficient exercise.
MAKING A MATCH
There are some who talk of introducing the birds
gradually by setting the cock in a cage near to his wife
that is to be, or in one side of a double compartment
cage ; others never bother, but when the birds are ready
put the cock straightway into the cage of the hen. This
is important. Hens breed far better in cages to which
they have become accustomed than in strange cages.
Three or four days after the birds have been introduced
to each other, the nest pan and nesting material may be
fixed. The pan at the back, and the nesting material
to the wires in front. There are quite a number of
different materials which can be used for nesting. With
the porcelain or clay nest-pan, a felt lining is always used,
clean dry moss, manilla rope cut into short lengths, and
well teazled out. Medicated horse or cow hair, deer hair,
clean dry grass, are all suitable materials. Cotton waste
should not be used, as it packs down tight, and prevents
B*
20 THE ROLLER CANARY
ventilation in the nest ; another disadvantage of cotton
waste or wool is that being so absorbent, the nest will
not be very presentable after the young birds reach the
age of 12 or 14 days. Ventilation through the nest is
necessary. Three or four more days pass, the nest is
made, and one morning an egg is seen in the nest. It
should be removed, as should the second and third eggs,
and all three may be returned either on the night of the
third day or the morning of the fourth.
The former is the best plan, as the eggs are more
likely to chip altogether than if not returned till the
fourth morning. ‘The first three eggs are cold when
returned to the nest, the fourth is never cold, therefore
if the first three are returned on the evening of the third
day they are warmed up and start level with the fourth,
and so the chicks all hatch about the same time on the
thirteenth night or fourteenth morning from the return
of the eggs. In the early part of the season incubation
is generally a few hours longer than when the days are
warm and long.
PREPAREDNESS THE BEST DEFENCE
To be best able to fight the red mite one should
look ahead. Therefore when the eggs are returned to
the nest, they and the nest should be well dusted with
insect powder.
If the cock is being run with more than one hen,
he should be removed at night when the eggs are
returned to the nest. He can then be introduced to his
second wife, and the same procedure followed as we have
detailed for the first hen.
THE ROLLER CANARY 21
There are some fanciers who never leave a cock with
a hen after she has gone to nest. They are wise when
he is run with more than one, but when one cock to one
hen is the rule, we like to leave them together all the
time, unless it should happen the cock interferes with
the hen during incubation, or will not do his bit in feed-
ing the youngsters when they come.
MODERN FEEDING METHODS
That last sentence leads us to the thought that the
youngsters will need feeding, but before we talk about
their food we will say something about that of the old
birds.
For a month before they are mated the old birds
should be given some egg food, or one of the proprietary
prepared substitutes for it every other day, in addition
to the daily seed which should consist of summer rape
given as the staple food in the seed hopper and a mixture
of canary, inga, and maw seed in the seed drawer or
tin. 'Green food should be given every day.
In these latter days cod liver oil food has been largely
used by fanciers. Cod liver oil food is like whisky—it
needs to be used with discretion. It should never be
fed regularly every day, except to bring very backward
birds into condition for the breeding season, or to sickly
birds. In such cases it may be used every day, also for
a day or two before and after birds come back from a
contest. It may be given to the birds twice a week when
they are newly paired, and three times a week during
the breeding season, or every day if given mixed in equal
proportions with the ordinary canary food. During the
moulting season it may also be used as during the
22 THE ROLLER CANARY
breeding season. Cod liver oil food is very heating and
forcing. That is why it must be used with discretion.
FEEDING THE BABES
When the young birds make their appearance the
ordinary seed diet may be continued, but in addition
soaked seed should be fed three times daily. Hens are
very fond of soaked seed and will often feed on it when
they refuse to do so on the ordinary egg food, or other
soft food.
Its method of preparation is as follows :—Equal
parts of canary, rape, and hemp seed should be put into
a big jam jar, covered with cold water, and soaked for
twenty-four hours. When it has been soaking twelve
hours it should be well stirred up with a spoon, the water
drained off, and some fresh water poured over it. When
it has soaked a whole day it should again be stirred,
the water drained off, fresh water put to it, again stirred,
and drained. Then it is ready to be given to the birds.
So as to keep a regular supply one lot should be set
soaking in the morning, and another at night each day.
Thus that which is set soaking in the morning will be
used the next morning, and the evening lot will be used
the next evening.
GREEN FOOD
We believe strongly in green food, and fresh green
food should be given to the breeding stock every day,
and when there are young birds, three times a day—
watercress, lettuce, groundsel, chickweed, and dandelion
are all good, but do not use too much of the latter,
especially after the early spring time. Green food
THE ROLLER CANARY 23
should always be well washed in slightly salted water
before being given to the birds. Care must be taken
never to give frosted green food, and at each time of
feeding all stale green food should be removed from the
cages. Many cases of inflammation of the bowels are
due to stale green food, and stale egg food. Moral:
Let all food be fresh.
FIXING THE RINGS
When the young birds are four days old, they should
be rung. The “ British Roller Canary Association ”’ and
also its affiliated Roller Canary Clubs insist upon all birds
bred by their members being rung. We give illustra-
tions of how the ringing is performed. The three front
claws are put together, and the ring slipped over them,
then up over the back claw, which is pressed close to
the leg.
Evening is the best time for ringing the birds, as the
hens are most restful, and do not try to remove them.
It is wise to smear the rings with some excreta when
they are on the legs of the birds. This dims them, and
the hens do not notice them. It is the brightness of the
rings which attracts the hens, and causes them to pull
them off. Watch must be kept for a day or two to see
that the rings have not been pulled off.
When the young are three weeks of age, the thoughts
of the old birds will turn towards another family, and
a clean nest pan should be hung on the opposite side of
the breeding cage to the previous one, and some nesting
material provided. Here it may be said that the nest
with the young should be renewed once each week whilst
the babes are occupying it.
24 THE ROLLER CANARY
The hen will go to the nest sometimes before her first
lot of babes are able to take care of themselves, but the
cock bird, if given the opportunity, will generally take
THE RINGING OF CANARIES.
A B C, Types of Rings. D, Tool for Rubbering when rubber is
pulled over Ring. E F, Mode of Ringing. G, Ring Holder.
charge of the babes, and tend them well, until they can
fend for themselves, which they should do when a month
old, and can then be removed to the flight cages.
CHAPTER IV
EDUCATION BEGINS
T= flight cages to which the young birds are
removed should not be in the breeding room,
but in another room, and in that room should
be a good schoolmaster, so as to teach the young how
to sing.
The food given to the birds may be the same as that
given in the breeding cage, and should be continued
right through the moulting period.
It is most essential to success in competition work
that the birds should be put under the schoolmaster
at the earliest age possible. When from six to eight
weeks old, the cocks may be detected by the swelling of
their throats when attempting to sing. They should be
removed from the hens, and placed in another flight.
Some cage them off in small cages, but this is not wise
before the completion of the moult as the exercise which
the birds obtain in the flights gives them strength and
muscle.
Further instructions as to the management and train-
ing of the young birds will be found in the chapter
dealing with ‘‘ Training Rollers for Competition.”
WINTER MANAGEMENT
When the breeding season is over, the cages should
all be thoroughly cleansed by being washed out, dis-
infected, and dried. The room also should be cleaned,
be
&
e
26 THE ROLLER CANARY
the ceiling and walls whitewashed, and the floor well
scrubbed. The hens may then all be kept in this room
away from the cocks, and any cocks that prove useless
for competition work may be kept there until they are
sold, either as songsters or for breeding stock.
During the winter months the hens, and the cocks,
may be given canary and rape seed as their staple food
in the hopper, and the mixed seeds in the seed drawer
may be given every other day. Soft food, such as egg
food, cod liver oil food, or one or other of the prepared
proprietary foods, may be given twice a week.
Green food should be given whenever obtainable, a
slice or two of sweet apple, or of boiled carrot, may be
given when green food cannot be found, or even by way
of a change.
Let the birds have free access to a grit pan, unless
you use sand on the cage bottoms. Keep cuttle fish
bone always hanging in the flights. Supply fresh water
daily, and keep all drinking and feeding utensils
absolutely clean. Give a little tonic in the drinking
water once or twice a week during the moult, and also
through the winter. Supply them with a bath once or
twice a week.
Let the birdroom be well ventilated, but avoid all
draughts. Thus catered for, your breeding stock should
keep well, and be very fit when the breeding season
approaches.
KEEPING THE RECORDS
It is essential for the proper management of a stud
that the recording of the pedigrees of the birds in a
Stud Register or Stock Book should be carefully kept.
“Cage Birds” publishes such a Stock Book, and
THE ROLLER CANARY 27
every breeder who wishes to keep accurate records will
avail himself of the help it gives.
The daily happenings in the stud may be noted in
a small memorandum book or a card chart, and then
transferred to the Stock Book once a week, or at
such intervals as are convenient.
- Beyond its value as a record of the pedigree of every
bird in the stud at any given moment, past or present,
it is deeply interesting, and very helpful, in many ways.
It will show all the pairings, with ring numbers of old
and young, dates of mating, laying, and hatching,
together with the results of each nest, of each pair, and
the whole stud for the season. If properly kept, it will
contain records of all sensational birds, all birds that
have been afflicted with illness, and also those that have
died either from accidents or disease.
All records in connection with the pedigree of each
bird should be entered fully into the Stock Book, so that
a quick reference can be made if required. A small
book should be prepared, or a breeding chart should be
made. The most convenient form is a large thick piece
of white cardboard; this can be ruled to provide a
column for each cage, allowing space for three nests
from each pair of birds. The ring numbers of both
male and female should be placed in the first square, and
as the work of the season progresses, notes can be made
in the respective columns regarding results from each
pair, such as time set, time due to hatch, number of
young birds hatched, and number raised, together with
the ring numbers of the young birds themselves, in each
succeeding nest. Later, all these particulars can be
entered in the Stud Register, which becomes a permanent
record of each year’s work.
CHAPTER. ¥
ON BUILDING A STRAIN
character to go into all the details of establishing
a strain. We can only refer our readers to
articles on in-breeding which appear in “ Cage Birds.”
These are published from time to time and they go
fully into the subject. There are those who say in-
breeding is wrong. It is if improperly followed, but not
if conducted on rational lines. We are so convinced
that in-breeding is the royal road to success that we say
anything may be achieved in the way of stock-breeding
by following out the principles as laid down by our
contributors.
How is it possible to have a strain unless one does
in-breed? The mating of birds gathered from here,
there and everywhere will not create a strain. All the
great breeders of Roller Canaries in Germany held their
own strains, strains which were famous for different
qualities of song.
Woerz, a great breeder, says :—‘‘ Inbreeding is the
shortest way for the safe inheritance of certain, nay, of
all peculiarities, and for the improvement of the strain.
No breeder can do without it. By its means can faults
or imperfections connected with the strain be quickly
remedied. But one must keep the in-breeding within
bounds, and the greatest care has to be taken in the
choice of breeding material.”
328
ihe is not space in a small book of this
THE ROLLER CANARY 29
Breeders such as Rosenbach, Volkmann, Engelhe,
Truto, Seifert, Bergmann, Erntyes, Wooje, Jacquemin,
and others who have made great strains, all practised
and preached in-breeding.
WHAT 1T WILL DO
In-breeding, properly followed, will improve the song
of the Roller Canary, and by the same process of selection
and mating may the outward form of the birds be im-
proved. Indeed, it is possible by such to create a strain of
Rollers which for song and dominant form will repeat
season after season with surprising and pleasing
regularity, until the breeder can claim, within the space
of several seasons, a super strain of Rollers. Let us
consider these factors. Take vigour, this is most
important, and in every description of breeding vigour
is the first selection. Breed vigour into your stock in
an intensive form and sickness will seldom worry you.
It is my opinion that wild birds are so intensively bred
that vigour has prevailed for centuries and the weaklings
have long since passed away. Select your breeding stock
from sound healthy birds. Never breed with weak or
sickly birds, and you can in-breed for ever.
It is in-breeding in families or flocks which has
caused our native songsters to breed so absolutely true to
vigour, size, shape, colour and marking that the young
repeated their inherited factors with regularity. Think
of the regularity of marking seen in the Goldfinch, the
Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Siskin and other British birds. It
is all the result of in-breeding. “‘ Birds of a feather flock
together” is an old saying, but there is much in the
remark which accounts for wild birds seldom crossing.
30 THE ROLLER CANARY
Different breeds of wild birds were developed ages ago
when birds were in very limited quantities. If such
purity of colour and marking was accomplished by wild
birds consanguineously mating, just imagine what can
be accomplished by man with scientific selection and
mating. We have not to grope in the dark, for the
most difficult problems of breeding have long since been
proved by our forefathers, though unfortunately few
have followed the wise and clever breeders of old.
The more intensively one breeds the more does one
stamp upon the strain the qualities it possesses, and the
greater these qualities the greater the success of the strain.
If we take song it is easy to produce by careful selective
in-breeding a race, or strain, that will be all-conquering
in the contests.
In the same way the outward form of the Roller may
be improved, and quite a number of good breeders are
now seeking to make the Roller more beautiful so far
as outward appearance goes. They desire better shape,
size, feather, and colour, and they realise that in-breeding
will give it to them.
How is one to follow the advice given by all the great
masters of the past: “‘ Keep to one strain,” unless they
in-breed? Immediately strange blood is introduced into
a stud away goes all the distinctive characters of the
strain. He who would succeed with the Roller Canary
must in-breed. By strict selective breeding, and keeping
a careful record of all stock bred and the performances
of the best birds, it is possible to achieve success of the
highest degree.
CHAPTER VI
AUTUMN MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING
In this chapter the well-known judge, M. Jacquemin,
details the necessary procedure from the end of the
breeding season up to the time when the birds should
be able to hold their own in the Singing
Competitions.
HEN the breeding season is at its final stage,
\/ we must see to the most important part of
our hobby—the training of the young cocks.
I do not believe in putting young cocks too early in
single cages ; as long as they sing quietly I leave them
in the flight cages, 15 cocks in a flight 7 feet long and
2 feet deep and 2 feet high, and feed them on canary
and rape seed, with every day some crushed hemp seed,
mixed seed and green food.
About the middle of August I put some of them in
single cages, and give them as their regular food canary
and rape mixed, egg food once a week, and one day
mixed seed consisting of hemp, linseed, groats, millet,
inga and maw seed, also now and then a little chickweed
or lettuce.
The cages I leave open, so that the birds can see each
other for at least a week, as I find that they settle down
better than if they are darkened down at once. It is a
great mistake to shut them up at once, you must let
them find the way to their seed and water ; the mixed
seed may be placed on the sand tray.
31
32 THE ROLLER CANARY
Place the tutor in the room amongst the young
cocks, and you will be surprised how quickly they settle
down to their new life in the small cages.
After a week or two, according to their progress, put
a partition between the cages, but should they be too
restless take the partition away again for a few days. If
not, leave them and watch and listen to their song, or
rather twittering.
WATCH AND TAKE NOTES
Now is the time to watch your young stock. Take
all the ring numbers and have them on the cages, also
make a list with the ring numbers on, and have it always
handy when you listen to your birds. Those which sing
(twitter) with closed beak mark “‘ good” or “‘ deep” on
your list, others which sing with open beak mark
“noisy” or “high.” You can hear them when they
are ever so young. Ina deep bird you can see the throat
move and only a roll comes out of it, but if you hear a
lot of “‘ S—sis,”’ you can put him down as high.
Put the deep ones together and also the high ones,
but do not take them away altogether, as you must listen
for another week or two before you send them away to
another tutor. Keep on marking your list from one
week to another ; you can partly tell after a few days
which bird will be your champion, also put down on
your list which bird always sings first.
After a few weeks you begin to distinguish the
different Rolls or Glucks, and you must mark the tones
on another list. Just mark it H.R., B.R., W.GL., or
H.B., and so on, and you will find the birds you marked
early on your list as deep or high, as the case may be,
THE ROLEER. CANARY 33
will be your best deep or high birds; also it is good
practice towards judging your own or other fanciers’
birds.
As your birds begin to shape into the different tours
you will have to examine them and your list closely
together. If you have several tutors, so much the better
for you. Place those young cocks which follow the
particular old bird’s song with him, the remainder with
another, and put them in the places you have to train
them in.
GLASS DOORS AND LIGHT CURTAINS
Now put birds into cages with glass doors and light
curtains. If you have only one good old cock, put your
deeper-singing birds quite close to him and the higher
ones you have to darken down or let them take their
chance by themselves. The higher ones I put on the
bottom or side row and place a piece of paper in front
for extra darkening. I do not myself take the higher
ones away together, but keep them so that they can hear
the tutor bird, and darken them down. In this way
you have a higher percentage of good birds than if you
discard them.
KEEP TO ONE STRAIN
If you have birds with too many faults, you must
take them away or you may spoil the good ones. It
does not happen so easily if you breed only one class of
birds ; you have then a better percentage of good birds
because they harmonise better together ; you can hear
more of the strain in them.
A fancier who breeds with a mixture of birds
Cc
34 THE ROLLER CANARY
from several different strains will have a poor percentage
of good birds. Further, it takes longer to separate
the good from the bad, and in the end he will only have
high ones left after all his trouble.
If a breeder is possessed of plenty of room, I advise
him to separate his young cocks into different rooms,
according to their quality. For this purpose you must
have several tutors at your disposal, and you must place
the young cocks with the old bird which they follow
the nearest in song.
A USEFUL EXPERIMENT
This experiment you can also practice with a few
young cocks if you want to introduce a tour or a new
style of song. This applies only to a man with plenty
of young cocks, but it is worth trying, and, if you are
lucky to get only one good young cock, it pays you for
your extra trouble.
As your birds progress in song, you must begin hand-
ling them, which means you have to take several of
them into another room and put an old one among
them. He will start the concert, and by this you will
get them to sing anywhere and in strange surroundings,
which will be to your good when they are judged
later on.
It is wise to take a couple of young cocks into another
room, quite away from the others. When they sing, you
will think you have another bird to listen to; it makes
such a lot of difference to sit in a quiet room and have
the birds before you. The sound has a quite different
effect; also you can hear them better, and it is another
big step towards making them free songsters.
THE ROLLER CANARY 35
TRAINING FOR THE SHOWS
A few weeks before the show, put your birds in con-
test cages. First leave the door open, and, after a day or
two, shut it. Treat them just the same as explained
before, the only difference is now to handle them more
in playing about in other rooms or, better still, take one
or two to a friend’s house and entice them to sing in the
shortest possible time, because the quick singing bird
will, nine times out of ten, be the winner in a contest.
Still make notes on your list as to which bird sings
his song throughout or in sections, or which one always
sings first. With this one, let him sing his song and no
more, as you are likely to spoil him in having too much
song out of him, for then he will get excited, and will
bring all his faults. As long as a bird sings his tours
nicely, let him do so, and no more; he will get his
reward before the judge; never mind what he sings
after judging. This applies only to birds you intend
to show.
Birds trained like this will get into the money time
after time. A few birds just ready for the show bench,
singing their song in a nice quiet way, and only slightly
faulty, will be the winners ; they are just ready at the
right time, and win, even if they do not do much at
later shows.
CHAPTER VII
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SONG
as soon as the young cocks are in the flight cages.
They start when they are six weeks old, and, in
some cases, even earlier. In the elementary stage only
a gentle twittering is noticeable, but, day by day, it
becomes louder and stronger.
The young bird’s first moult does not hinder him
in this. He practises daily with diligence, and makes
progress, and, even in these early days, while the birds
are still in the moult, one can already distinguish plainly
in some of the more forward birds certain tours in their
song.
T HE development of the different song tours begins
THE INFLUENCE OF THE MOULT
If, as occasionally happens, a breeder possesses a
young cock who, in spite of being a sound, healthy bird,
misses his first moult, he will discover that this bird,
after a very short course of study, will outstrip all his
companions, and bring out his tours like an adult. The
conclusion is, therefore, obvious that the moult hinders
development of the song. It is a question of duration,
that is, whether the bird renews his feathers slowly or
quickly, and it will be found that those which have
made the most progress in the moult will show the
greatest advance in their song.
36
THE’ ROLLER CANARY 37
Age has nothing to do with it, for birds of the same
age who vary in their moult will vary accordingly in
their song development, a fact which can be verified
during any breeding season, for it will be found that
older learners having a long moult are outstripped by
quick moulting younger ones. With an even moult all
round, the older birds naturally are the best developed
in body as well as song.
As it is mostly the custom to keep the birds in the
freedom of the flight cages during the moult, and to
cage them off only after completion, it follows that the
song develops while they are already in the flights. So
long as loud and distinct notes or passages are not
distinguished above the twitterings of the beginner, the
birds may be left quietly alone.
THOSE FAULTY NOTES
The first of the notes which strike the ear as dis-
agreeable are the faults in the song which, later on, when
the bird is fully developed, make it necessary to isolate
him from the general company. Quite early we may
hear sharp flutes, for these are the first to break in upon
the soft warbling. After this we get a lengthy bell,
which gradually becomes longer in delivery and harder,
if not finally quite sharp.
A short soft bell from which the bird descends to
another tour is no fault, and does not jar, but if a young
bird brings his bell frequently and at length, the tour
almost always develops into a fault, sometimes even a
downright bad one, and such a songster may spoil the
~ whole school. By his unceasing ringing he urges on his
companions, and, as he brings it out by the yard, as it
38 THE ROLLER CANARY
were, nothing but loud bell is heard after a short time.
This long, loud bell tour may well be reckoned as the
worst of all faults, for such a bird thinks he can never
do enough of it, and, in many cases, he will keep it up
for pretty well a minute.
Following on the above-mentioned two bad faults,
sharp flutes and sharp bell, we very quickly hear the
rasping sound of the Aufzug. This is a fault for which
most breeders do not isolate if it is not too lengthy,
the reason being that with deep-voiced songsters this
tour of breath-recovery will gradually dwindle away.
It, nevertheless, has always a jarring eflect upon the ear.
THE DISAGREEABLE NASAL NOTES
Then, again, we have the nasal notes. If this fault
be confined to a few of the birds, they are taken away
from the school, but if nearly all have the fault, the
breeder cannot isolate them, and must leave the whole
lot together, for it is often the case that when the nasal
is first detected he will scarcely be able to find one clear-
voiced bird. For this reason the opinion rules among
breeders that the nasal is as catching as the plague.
All nasal, 1.¢e., harsh and impure, generally hoarse,
tours, are very disagreeable, but deep flutes are the worst
when spoilt by this hoarseness; such birds must be taken
away, for this kind of loud flute is so penetrating in tone
that it stands out conspicuously, ugly and persistent,
while the others are singing, and absolutely spoils the
effect of the whole orchestra.
The last faults, and most difficult to handle, are
known as Schnetter and Zitzit. Loud sharp Schnetter
sounds like a loud, hard rattle or castanets, and bell
THE ROLLER CANARY 39
Schnetter is a sharp bell, degenerating further into a
rattle. Then there is soft Schnetter, which the novice
mistakes for soft Aufzug, but which the expert knows
is Schnetter pure and simple.
Zitzit is a bad habit which, perchance, the bird may
lose : nevertheless, he must be banished from the school.
If he is inclined to let it drop he will have to do so in
the company of the other banished ones.
SEPARATE THE BAD FROM THE GOOD
Birds that have the faults above referred to must be
separated from the good songsters as early as possible,
and placed in another room out of earshot; the chances
that such birds may become decent songsters are very
meagre, further, it is waste of time and effort to place
them under a tutor. Let them sing their good and bad
tours together to their hearts’ content, and take the first
opportunity to dispose of them.
One is often advised to darken these birds deeply,
so as to suppress or stifle the fault, but this will not
answer any good purpose, for the breeder who adopts
the plan is thereby induced to keep the faulty birds in
the same room as the others, thinking that by this means
the faults will be less audible. One must bear in mind,
however, that the birds cannot be kept in the dark during
the whole day; they must, at least for one hour every day
have light and freedom, even if it only be at feeding
times, for then they should have quite an hour of broad
daylight accorded to them, so that they may satisfy their
needs in a proper manner.
40 THE ROLLER > CANARY
DISCORD AMIDST HARMONY
When they are regularly fed, they get to know the
time when the welcome light will be vouchsafed to them,
as they fidget about from perch to perch, chirping and
twittering the while. When they have filled their needs
the little ne’er-do-wells begin with joy to warble forth
their thanksgiving; the signal is given, the band starts
and away they go in full strength, sharp flutes, sharp bell,
Aufzug, Schnetter, and all the rest, and the performance
is so loud and penetrating that the breeder hears it at
the other end of his dwelling, and hurries off to darken
them down again, so that his good birds may no longer
hear this questionable music.
HOW TO OBTAIN GREAT PLEASURE
The best way is to place these throw-outs in a
distant room, and let them enjoy life. The breeder,
then, has his pleasure in his better songsters far less
hindered than when his room contained the blunderers,
whose faults even darkening down would not completely
silence. Having dealt with the development of bad
faults, we turn our thoughts to those tours which bring
joy to the trainer.
THE FIRST AND FINEST TOUR
We will suppose that all the birds in the room are
bred from first prize parents, and the breeder prides
himself in the belief that the offspring will be as good
as their ancestors in quality.
The birds are healthy, and they make fast progress
THE. ROLLER ‘CANARY 4l
in their studies. One day he hears the hollow roll, queen
of tours, the tour that gives the song its intrinsic value,
and without which there can be no talk of good song.
The tour we hear first, therefore, is this, the finest.
At first it is short, then quick, and gradually
lengthening out, of medium pitch, rising and falling
soft and clear ; very soon afterwards we hear the first
beats of the deep Hollow Roll (rrrou). When the
“hollow,” as we call it, comes out well in this stage,
the breeder knows he has won his object ; “ hollow ”
songsters are ever sought after. Only one care now
remains, namely, as to whether he is going to discover
a good strong Knorre (Bass), but he must wait patiently,
for although Bass is not the latest arrival, yet it does
not make its appearance in the young birds until
September.
HOLLOW BELL AND HOLLOW ROLL
After Hollow Roll we very quickly get Hollow Bell,
which also rises and falls on the same pitch with the
same vowel sounds, but, of course, without the roll of
the rer.” + Deep. Hollow’ Bell. “ou, ou, ou,” is com-
monly, but incorrectly, marked Schockel, which tour we
shall describe later.
Very soon we shall hear Bell Roll with a clear roll
on ‘“‘rrree,”’ and a nice short soft bell ‘‘ Illee,’’ also tender
flute notes, “tee, tee, tee,” and the deeper “‘ dou, dou,
dou.” These flutes are an ornament to the song, and
heighten the value of the bird. To the well-attuned
ear of the musical breeder there is no greater delight
than listening to a number of good birds with a pure
song heightened by deep tender flute notes which shine
42 THE ROLLER CANARY
out in soft relief, now here, now there, like costly jewels,
while the bent Hollow Roll long drawn out, is rising
and falling.
In the course of time the curving and heaving of the
song becomes longer and more powerful, the Hollow
Roll, Hollow Bell, Bell Roll, Bell, and Flutes all getting
daily more perfect. However, in spite of all this it
strikes one sometimes as though the song were not
making progress, because there are still wanting certain
valuable tours which the breeder for song wishes to
have in his birds.
CHAPTER VIII
GLUCK AND WATER ROLL
only bred by speciality breeders who have an
exceptional love for them. These are Gluck and
the Water Roll tours, and they may both seriously
degenerate in the course of the year.
To many minds Gluck as an embellishment is a
superfluity, for even if it be perfect, clear in tone, slow
and quiet, “gluck, gluck, gluck’’ (better written
“ glook”), it is no greater ornament than deep flutes ;
it heaves up in the song in a similar manner, but in it
there is lacking the melancholy, plaintive appeal of
flutes on “ dou.”
P NHERE are certain prize winning tours which are
TOURS THAT DEGENERATE
Flutes compensate fully for Gluck, they are easier
to cultivate, and do not degenerate, or very rarely,
whereas Gluck, even with the slightest alteration in the
feeding during the rearing period, will drop into the
worst faults.
From parents singing good Gluck there arise in the
youngsters such things as kleck, kleck, klack, klack, and
the fearsome chop and chap. If the young birds develop
these dreadful tours the whole of the strain goes over-
board, for what breeder cares to continue with such
birds, even if a few of them should not have degenerated
43
44 THE ROLLER CANARY
to quite such an extent? He must get rid of all his
cocks, the choppers for what they will fetch; the hens
also he cannot keep, and thus all his trouble and expense
for one whole year have been wasted, and he must put
his hand deep down in his pocket to start again with
birds of a good strain. No tour degenerates so much
as Gluck.
Water Roll also is as likely to go worse as to become
better, and is as little to be recommended as a tour to
breed for. If the breeding cocks are very good stock
birds, and they are paired up with fair, or even very
good, hens, we shall nevertheless hear the youngsters
giving voice to things that will certainly not be pleasant
hearing.
BEAUTIFUL BUT DANGEROUS
For instance, say the old birds had a lulling
(kullering) hollow, a tour which decided the purchase
on account of the charm of its delivery. Their tours
were a good bass, flutes, deep hollow, and also a deep
lulling, clear on “ou,” no weak watery effect. This
deep kuller, which is really beautiful and quite arrests
attention, carries its danger with it, for even with
suitable hens the youngsters bring out all sorts of weak
watery stuff, for which no name can be given.
Breeders, in whose hands such birds do _ not
degenerate, gain much both from a material and an ideal
standpoint ; it certainly rewards an expert to listen to
birds which sing the hollow in pure kullering or koller-
ing form, but the goal is only reached by first-class,
experienced breeders and trainers, for the reason that
the kollering and kullering tours have all got the water
THE ROLLER CANARY 45
beat, one may say they are a blending of Hollow Roll
and Water Roll. This combination, in the hands of
inexperienced breeders, may resolve itself, again, into
Hollow Roll and Water Roll separately. Further, the
Water Roll may lose its good qualities and retrograde
into weak water and broad wish-washy stuff, and as the
song of the youngster develops this watery stuff becomes
more and more apparent, and he must be taken away
from the school.
Rippling tours on “‘o” and “ou” are good. Birds
of this category should be placed close to one another,
and they should have a fair songster as tutor with a fully-
developed kullering tour, so that they may have good
instruction and support, and, in their turn, become first-
rate songsters.
WHEN BASS DEVELOPS
Bass develops at about the end of September or the
beginning of October ; at first there is a short “rrr,”
which soon becomes louder and stronger, and then the
breeder will have an idea as to what the quality will be.
The bass tones knorr and knourrr are good, and birds
possessing them may be used for further breeding
purposes or for sale.
We get also a soft deep bass, but not on “o” or
“ou,” as above, but more of an “a,” as in “arr,” a
variety which is still good, and, although a sensitive
breeder may perhaps talk disparagingly of this so-called
knarre, many would be pleased if they had such bass
in their song.
The last of the good tours which the birds lay hold
of is Schockel, and to develop it a schoolmaster
46 THE ROLUER ‘CANARY
possessing it is absolutely necessary. This tour may be
dormant in the bird for a twelvemonth without making
its appearance, and, finally, under the leadership of a
tutor, he will suddenly bring it out.
True Schockel is in the same musical pitch as deep
flutes, and only birds who have deep flutes bring it out;
in its manner of delivery it is practically deep flutes in
faster time. In order to cultivate Schockel you have to
select birds who repeat their deep flutes at least six to
eight times consecutively, and if you give them a tutor
with true Schockel, not Hollow Bell, and leave them for
a long period under his tuition, they will build up the
Schockel out of their deep flutes through the fashion of
the delivery, but without a tutor you can never attain
to this.
EXPERT VIEWS ON THE GLUCK TOUR
With regard to the assertion that deep flutes should
take the place of Gluck, and that Gluck is superfluous,
many will agree with the following remarks by another
expert. He writes as follows:—‘‘ There is no doubt
that deep flutes are a fine acquisition, and enchant the
ear; every breeder should strive to bring good deep flutes
into his song. However, a well-delivered Gluck or
Gluck-roll is not less beautiful, and no one having
these tours in his strain would ever wish them to
disappear.
“The ideal Gluck is reached when it is full, mellow,
and deep, rising and falling, a veritable delight to the
ear. The beauty of the song cannot be denied. More-
over, the fine Gluck tours which characterize these strains
are accompanied by beautiful deep, plaintive flutes, good
THE ROLLER CANARY 47
bass, etc., a proof that deep flutes can be cultivated along-
side the Gluck tours.
“The fears of easy degeneration of the Gluck tours
I do not share ; it may happen, but not any more often
than with other tours, and, in my opinion, the appear-
ance of Chop can, at any rate, only take place after
several years, and if the breeder omits to be careful in
his selection of birds for breeding purposes.
“With the best strains, I have not discovered a single
case of degeneration, although I have kept in close touch
with them for seven years. Neither have I found that
a change of diet, for instance, a course of stimulating
food, has had any lasting influence on the delivery of
the Gluck tours. To be sure, the tours were not so soft
at breeding time, but this is so with all the tours,
especially as regards bass. When breeding time is over,
or after the moult, the tours, with very few exceptions,
will resume their former softness and fullness.
WHEN DETERIORATION SETS IN
“When deterioration in a Gluck strain sets in it
is almost always on account of too close in-breeding
(father to daughter, etc.); this re-acts more in Gluck than
in any other tour. It is certainly advisable not to over-
look bringing in well-selected fresh blood after a certain
time, both in Gluck and Water strains, otherwise ugly
variations will creep in.
‘““We ought not to sacrifice a tour of acknowledged
merit for another tour, but, on the contrary, we should
strive to uphold all these good tours and raise their
standard of excellency, in spite of the many hindrances
that have to be overcome on the way.”
CHAPTER IX
TRAINING ROLLERS FOR COMPETITIONS
HE training of the Roller Canary is, of course, a
ae most interesting process, and occupies about three
months; breeders are not all alike in the time they
take to train their birds. One will cage off early from
the flights, while another will delay the operation; or it
may be that the birds are backward either by nature or
by reason of the lack of continual, steady tuition through
the available schoolmaster going off song in the moult,
and no substitutes being forthcoming for some time.
It goes without saying that the longer a young bird
can be kept in the flight the better chances he has of
coming safely through his first moult; of expanding his
frame, and becoming a robust youngster.
The tutor is kept near the flight in a cage and song-
box by himself. If a youngster becomes quarrelsome, or if
he develops sharp or harsh notes or frequent high calls,
he should be taken away. To minimize these troubles,
or to prevent them, it will be found effective if the flight
is shaded, either by a curtain or by darkening the room.
Some cage off the cocks almost as soon as the sexes
are discovered; others cage them off as soon as they
show livelier attempts at song. The birds are put into
small wire cages, and the cages are placed in boxes or
cabinets provided with doors. These cabinets almost
exclude the light, some entirely so, and the birds are
ranged so that the tutor is in the centre.
48
THE ROLLER CANARY 49
The Training Cage shown on page 50, and also the
Cabinet, can be made with any kind of wood to the
given sizes, but hard wood, like pitch pine, is preferable,
and, when varnished, this will have a very neat appear-
ance. When you have your young birds through the
moult, place the cocks in the cages, being careful to place
the ring numbers on the cabinets, for this will enable
you to find any particular bird by referring to your stock
book.
A VALUABLE SUGGESTION
After placing the birds in the cabinets, leave the doors
open at first to make sure they find their feeders and
drinkers, and let the doors remain open for at least two
days. On the third day close one door, the following
day partly close the next door, and the succeeding day
close all up.
Be sure you have plenty of fresh air in the room in
which you are going to keep them. Open the cabinets,
and give fresh food and water the first thing every morn-
ing, and leave the cabinets open for an hour. Open the
doors again at noon for half an hour, and then close
until evening.
When you hear one or more of your young birds
singing in the darkness open the doors immediately
and let them sing their song. Listen very critically
for any bad faults, and when they are finished close
the doors.
The song box I use is a roomy one, with three holes
at the back about 1% in. in diameter, and the doors are
so constructed that when closed there is a space of about
one-eighth of an inch at each side, allowing of the
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50 THE ROLLER CANARY
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Singing or Training Cage and Cabinet.
THE ROLLER CANARY 51
passage of air and light. With this and the apertures at
the back the bird is never in total darkness.
Another design of cage is the shutter cage, combining
cage and box in one, being a box cage with two wooden
doors to close in front after the pattern of the official
show-cage.
ARRANGING THE SONG BOXES
The birds should be arranged in rows as close
together as possible, and if there are many it is better
that the tutor should face them, also in his song-box.
As I do not use song boxes except for special pur-
poses, as for a bird in a sitting room when he is generally
open, or for a sick one, I describe what I consider to be
a simpler system. The birds in their small wire cages
are ranged in racks, bookshelf fashion, with two curtains
of green casement material suspended in front, one about
three inches in front of the other to regulate the depth of
shade. If the room has venetian blinds one curtain is
sufficient as a rule.
The partition between the cages should be of stout
cardboard, thin planed wood, or metal ; wood possibly
is the best, as the metal is rather cold. These partitions
should come well to the tops and the backs of the cages,
and in front they should come out flush with the outside
level of the feeding glasses, so that the birds cannot get
a view of one another. If the cages rest on rods instead
of shelves it may be well to lay sheets of brown paper
thereon, to overhang an inch or so in front, and hang
down the full depth at back. Have the upper and lower
ranges as close as possible, say, half an inch to an inch.
In this way you have no boxes to clean out, the birds are
D*
52 THE ROLLER CANARY
closer together, you can shift them about more easily and
more quickly; in fact, they are altogether more easily
managed.
Place the tutor so that he has two on each side, three
above and three below, in all ten birds. Several more
can be placed round him, but if you do this it is wise to
change the birds about occasionally. If you place your
tutor in a song box on a pedestal outside the curtain,
regulating his light also properly, you will be able to train
a great many more.
HOW TO CAGE OFF
When you cage off a youngster do not shade him at
once, nor put in the partition ; let him get accustomed to
conditions for a few days, then put up the partition, and,
after that gradually shade him. As you cage the birds
off you should make a note as to their ages; number the
cages according to whether they be first, second or third
round birds, and you will not be confused over the
feeding.
When you open up your birds in the morning draw
out the loose partitions; by this you make them active,
and they will not sing, or only a little, if at all. Let
them have as much of this as possible, as it keeps them
healthy and happy. Now replace the partitions, and
they will start song; close the curtain. Repeat at dinner
time.
In the evening, half-an-hour before roosting-time, you
may draw the partitions and let them alone until you
draw the curtain for the night, leaving the partitions out,
or if the days are short you may light up at night, and
after they have had half-an-hour’s play, replace the par-
titions, draw the curtain, and gradually lower the light.
THE ROLLER CANARY 53
You must so regulate the shading that although you keep
their song subdued you do not stop them singing
altogether. Of course, they will not sing ceaselessly, but
you will hear the choir practising more or less during
the day.
Now, these are not meant for hard and fast rules, but
just merely as guiding principles; the idea is to give the
birds as much light and exercise as you can, and to use
every means, trick, or stratagem you can think of to keep
them from singing in open school, especially during the
first few weeks of their training.
A daily rehearsal of ten minutes is good practice, and
accustoms them to it; some breeders rehearse three times;
methods differ; use your own judgment. You will need
to study your birds, you will have them rehearse much
longer at times, and this will do them no harm, especially
in the cold weather, rather the reverse.
PUPILS WITH FAULTS
Keep a keen ear; remove any high-pitched offender;
if a bird seems inclined that way, put him into
a dark corner of your rack. If really bad, he must come
away altogether, as the faulty tour will vitiate the song
of all the others in a day or two; they pick it up in no
time, as faulty tours, especially high bell and, in fact, all
high notes are easier for them to imitate than the good
deep ones.
Sometimes a bird may not be satisfactory for other
reasons; as time goes on his style of delivery may not suit,
or he many sing a good tour, but repeat it too often, and
so cause it to predominate in the others. That bird
should be taken away; he may improve by isolation or
54 THE ROLLER CANARY
placing near another, apart from the rest. Sometimes
you may have taken a bird away, and may find later on
he may go back, but when once he has high bell there
is little hope of him being any good in the school.
Keep the best songsters nearest the tutor until they
are well advanced. Should your tutor fail you by
moulting late, or start early with a long moult, you may
find one or two of these youngsters very useful until he
comes round again.
When the song has fully developed, study your
pedigree, find out the lines of your deepest and purest
birds, and mark your hens, so preparing for next season’s
breeding. Choose your show birds, transfer them to the
standard show cages about three weeks before the show,
and train them to sing readily to the judge; shift them
about the rooms, move them into all sorts of positions,
carry them about with you to a friend’s house, open them
out on the table with a sheet of paper before you as if
you were judging.
CHAPTER X
SELECTING THE SCHOOLMASTER
bold, racy one; a bird weak on his upper tones
is better than one who may sing clear but high,
and the bird that starts on his lower tours, bass for
preference, is better than one who starts on his higher
tours.
A bird with faulty high tour or other faults is often
good to breed with, coming of good stock and pedigree,
but as a tutor he is no good. The tutor should be the
best your purse can afford; many fine birds can be
bought at their proper value from well-known breeders,
but if you limit them to a low figure you cannot expect
to get the quality required.
The very finest are priceless; they are very rare, and
the owners keep them. They may sometimes be picked
up at shows, but many breeders will not risk sending
out their very best for exhibition.
High-class birds, however, may be had from fair-
dealing British breeders, which, if not of the very highest
category, are of close blood relationship to these supreme
songsters, and will therefore not only train well, but will
breed you first-class birds, and so put you on the right
road to excellence.
If your first season does not come up to expectation,
remember it is the second season that generally counts;
you cannot estimate what you possess until you know
55
F OR a tutor a quiet, slow songster is better than a
56 THE ROLLER CANARY
the quality of the grandchildren. Perseverance, patience,
good judgment, and an attentive musical ear; these are
the attributes necessary to a Roller breeder.
One final word as a plea. If you use the song box,
take the cage out at least once a day for an hour, and so
give the bird an airing and encourage him to hop about
and preen his feathers; make his little life a happy one,
give him all the liberty and enjoyment you can.
THE FIXING OF THE SONG
It is generally conceded that when the bird has
recovered his song after the second moult that song is
fixed for good. There can consequently be very little
reason why the older birds should not be permitted to
enjoy more light and liberty, and live to a good old age.
What are the qualities to seek in a Schoolmaster?
Upon this hangs the result of our breeding. After
careful, judicious pairing of our birds we may by
inattention to this vital question spoil our labour by
damaging the song through faulty selection of a tutor.
It is immaterial how a tutor commences his song, so
long as it starts with a good tone. Some think that a
start on the Bell tours may damage the young cocks by
encouraging them to sing only light stuff. This, how-
ever, will not occur so readily as in the case of a tutor
starting on deep tours, and finishing up with Bell tours,
which linger on as if they never wished to finish. Under
either such tutor you will always get birds who will
start with Bell tours.
It is better to have a tutor who starts with a light Bell
or Bell Roll, followed, say, by Hollow Roll or Bass,
THE ROLLER CANARY --
followed again by Hollow Bell and Flutes, than one
which starts with Bass or H.R., and closes with a Bell
that never seems to end. The cocks under the first kind
of tutor will almost all start with Bell or Hollow Bell,
but they will not make their song with Bell a yard long.
Such a bird gives also a more pleasing effect than the one
which starts deep and finishes up with Bell; the effect
of the deep tour is spoilt thereby.
SONGS OF STRENGTH AND BEAUTY
Deep, full-toned tutors who start with their prime
tours will bring their whole strength to bear on the
lighter, easier ones, and these latter will, therefore,
always be high, if not even sharp. On the other hand,
those birds who start somewhere on the higher tours will
bring their strength and beauty to bear on the succeeding
tours, and so bring the song to a good finish.
Beware, however, that your tutor does not start with
too long a Bell, nor must he repeat it. Such a tutor must
sing correctly, and without a break or interruption, other-
wise the youngsters lose the connecting links, and this,
when there are many in school, brings desperate
confusion.
It is always best when Bell comes in the middle of
the song; it makes a pleasing change when followed by
Bass or H.R. To understand the effect one needs to
listen to a songster who drops into a full round Bass or
H.R. after a somewhat high-pitched Bell.
To a trained ear this is a delight, and such a bird,
moreover, is a good one to make use of even if his Bell
stands out a little too conspicuously in his song.
The next point to consider is as to what faulty tours
58 THE ROLLER CANARY
may be permitted in a Schoolmaster. Preferably none,
of course. Under this heading I do not refer to such
things as Zitt or Chop, which are not tours at all but
rather jerked out noises, and which happily only a few
birds bring out; such faults, of course, no bird should
possess, nor any of a similar nature.
There are certain faults which we are ready to excuse
in our pets, but they must be sung in the right place, so
that they escape being classed among the faulty tours.
A bird with an Aufzug at the start is hardly one to be
selected; anyhow, it must be very soft, and he must only
bring it once, otherwise the whole school will be spoilt,
and there will be no end to sorting the birds out.
FAULTS IMPOSSIBLE TO DESCRIBE
Quiet or medium Aufzug, after Bass or just before
it, may be permitted without fear, but it must only come
out once. The young birds must not be subjected to
sharp Aufzug, for after a little while they take up this
oft-repeated fault, and the effect is bad, like tearing
calico. It is impossible to define Aufzug properly in
writing, and it is best to listen to an example.
Birds with very lengthy bell, and which only bring
deep tours now and again, should not be used as tutors,
neither should those with a lot of sharp, piercing, or
nasal flutes, as these birds mar the song to such an extent
that it becomes valueless. Weak flutes will not do much
damage, and may be permitted; on the other hand, nasal
flutes are dangerous.
There are some birds that have not a clear delivery
with certain tours, half hoarse, half nasal, one might say
indistinct. Opinions differ considerably as to whether
THE ROLLER CANARY 59
they are safe to use. A short, indistinct phrase of this
character will do no damage; on the other hand, lengthy
Bell and Hollow Bell of this description are very harm-
ful. If one is compelled to use these half-hoarse tours
they must be short ones; they will always be imitated
and worse. Really hoarse birds should be doctored up
in the kitchen, or where they can get warmth and
moisture, which are the best means for curing them.
Birds in full breeding condition should not be used
as tutors, and the old birds should be taken away during
their moult, as they may teach the youngsters many a bad
lesson which they otherwise would not have got into
their song.
CHAPTER XI
THE INHERITANCE OF SONG
to educate young birds, although ideas crop up
here and there to the effect that education may be
brought about without the schoolmaster. These ideas
arise from the fact that, in the first place, the bird
possesses certain inherited tendencies, and, secondly, he
will sing his inherited song without ever having had a
cock to guide him; for instance, if in his earliest youth
he passes out of the breeder’s hands into those of a person
who keeps him in absolute solitariness, leaves him
entirely to himself, and so permits him to develop his
song.
One can take up an attitude on both standpoints, and
correctly so; namely, ‘“‘ breeders need no schcolmaster
for song development,” and, contrariwise, “breeders
are bound to have schoolmasters if they wish to develop
their song.”
It is asserted in some quarters that birds from their
earliest youth, even as nestlings, acquire already from
the tutor the form of their song, but upholders of this
theory seem to lose sight altogether of inborn tendencies.
If this were so, it would be needless to concern ourselves
about pedigree and inherited qualities, and all we need
trouble about would be to look out for a good tutor.
We know that we can only produce birds of high
quality from high-class breeding stock, yet no one can
60
N O doubt exists of the necessity for a tutor in order
THE ROLLER CANARY 61
correctly assert that the nestlings, even, take up the song
of the tutor. It is well known that the father is the best
tutor, a fact in favour of my point, for the birds in time
will bring out their song, an inherited one.
MATERNAL INFLUENCE ON SONG
There is another example of song inheritance—
namely, in the case of a hen of a strain representing a
variation from the breeder’s style of song being crossed
with his breeding cocks. The hen transmits, in part or
in entirety, the new style of song, but she cannot teach
the cocks to sing, so the breeder puts them under a good
tutor, maybe their own father. It will then be found that
they have not only learnt what their tutor has taught
them, but also the pedigree tours of the mother, although
they have never heard them.
If the mother be of very fine strain, and the young
cocks develop the fine tours inherent in her, in the absence
of any performance thereof on the part of the tutor, it will
be evident to the breeder that the birds need no special
tutor. These facts have also been further verified in the
case of a breeder giving to another breeder eggs from a
nest in exchange for a nest of his own, the respective
strains being foreign to each other.
Now, if the youngsters hatched in the strange room
come from a good Bass or Schockel strain, tours not in
the repertoire of the birds in this new home, they will
nevertheless, when autumn comes, bring out their Bass
and Schockel, even though they have had no tutor to
help them. It is thus shown that on the face of things
no tutor is necessary, yet from what follows it will be
62 THE ROLLER CANARY
seen that, in order to obtain a large percentage of good
results among the birds, it is necessary they should be
coached by capable tutors.
WHAT CONSTITUTES BEAUTY OF SONG
The fundamental tours of a Canary’s song are not
the only elements of a good performance, but what con-
stitutes beauty is the order of sequence of the tours, the
manner in which they pass one over the other, the
bridging over, as it were, the modulation, and the
general connectivity, for it is all this that goes to make up
a fine song and enhance its value.
Mark well, absence of faults, or faulty delivery, does
not indicate value, but what does is method and style
of delivery.
These special attributes are learnt from the tutor if
the young birds are fortunate enough to be brought into
contact with one such. It is through the scarcity of
tutors on the one hand, and the excessive number of
scholars on the other, that so few birds turn out first-class
songsters.
When a large number of young birds are on the racks,
and the tutor is leading, it is not possible to give them
a proper hearing, so much does their warbling drown
the song of the old birds. It cannot therefore be expected
that one single youngster is capable of taking up the
song of his tutor when these tours of a quality so neces-
sary for him to study are overborne by the efforts of the
large number around him. The result is that, though
the tutor plods on, his efforts are lost, as not one single
cock hears him properly.
If, in order to surmount this difficulty, several tutors
THE ROLLER CANARY 63
are placed among the birds, their song will, of course,
dominate. As the tutors do not sing the same tour at
the same time, but change about, one singing this tour
and another that, the result is that the youngster is at
the same disadvantage, as the individual tours are lost
to him by reason of the strong volume of sound with,
to him, the confused interchanges.
INDIFFERENT RESULTS EXPLAINED
This explains the generally indifferent results of
large breeders, notwithstanding their care in providing
their birds with good tutors. In the smaller breeding
rooms there is often a surprisingly large percentage of
cocks which develop into first-class songsters in cases
where they are placed under a really good tutor.
These youngsters have been fortunate enough to have
a first-class bird to listen to, and also to benefit by, for
although they are with others on the training rack the
school is such a small one that their united efforts do
not drown the effect of the song of the leader, and thus
at all times of the day he is able to lend them direction
and support.
Now, if a breeder has a large number of young cocks
to train he should not allow more than ten to fifteen for
one tutor, and each batch of this number must be kept
entirely separate; that is to say, staged in separate rooms,
for if these batches are kept in the same room the cross-
ing of the tours, both in old and young, will damage
the song.
This system of separation into isolated rooms brings
the small fancier up against difficulties; he may be able
to manage in different rooms so long as the warmer
64 THE ROLLER. CANARY
weather lasts, but when winter approaches there is the
question of temperature, and for the sake of the birds,
which compared to his hens, are inactive, confined to
small cages, he may be compelled to bring them all into
one comfortably warmed abode. The result will be
that the advantage he has gained will be lost, for the
birds, although well ahead in tours, are not yet fixed in
song, and will consequently vacillate and change about.
REMARKABLE IMITATIVE FACULTY
The imitative faculty of the Roller is remarkable;
for instance, time after time I have found that, in the
case of a year-old cock, which has been used to breed
with, if when he drops into moult he is placed alongside
a cock not moulting, he will take up the new song, so
much so that you will often not be able to distinguish
one from the other.
In some experiments of my own some moulting
cocks in a flight were set apart in a quiet room, and here,
a small company, undisturbed, they entirely forgot their
own song and acquired that of the bird placed in their
hearing. In these cases it was a question each time of
a beautifully bent rich song which seems to have been
especially attractive to the musical sensibility of the
moulting cocks.
If a breeder wishes to obtain the greatest number of
good birds and lacks a sufficient number of separate
rooms, and perhaps of tutors also, let him take the
youngsters bred from his best cock and put them with
him in a room apart, or, failing the parent cock, then
some other first-class tutor. He may thus reckon on
obtaining a small output of good birds.
THE ROLLER CANARY 65
The general stock may be trained in the ordinary
way with several tutors if numbers require it, separating
out eventually those birds which are of exceptional
promise. If a special room is necessary for the throw-
outs, how much more important is it that the young
birds of high promise should have one.
CHAPTER XI
THE ROLLER’S SONG IN MUSICAL NOTATION
HE natural song of the Canary has been changed
i from its original form under the efforts of
breeders and trainers who have in process of time
developed and built up therefrom an artistic song full of
charm and beauty. The natural gifts of the bird have
been so successfully worked upon that the song to-day is
a veritable triumph of art.
To satisfy artistic requirements it may be laid down
as a general axiom that as the song progresses higher and
lower it should ring out harmoniously, and that during
its course no disagreeable tones or phrases should appear.
THE TOURS NOT UNDERSTOOD
The tours of the Roller Canary seem difficult mostly
because they require thorough discussion and classifica-
tion, and this is seldom done. The main problem is
that very common factor—variation. The Roller Canary
is no different in its inheritance to man. One man sings
deep bass, another light-bass, another deep baritone,
another light-baritone, another tenor, and so on. This
voice problem is a matter of register and confounding to
the novice who does not know whether a “ tenor ”’ bird
is singing Schockel because his deep-voiced bird is
singing his hollow bell in a very similar key.
There are other factors to be taken into consideration,
66
THE ROLLER CANARY 67
for birds vary in other matters as do their owners. Some
Canaries are more intelligent than others, they vary in
temperament and are consequently different in disposi-
tion. You have the vigorous bird who sings in a
different style to his weak-chested neighbour. Strains
of different delivery help to swell the problems of mis-
understanding. Is it any wonder then that there are
so many people who are not well versed in the tours
of that wonderful bird the Roller Canary?
It is our desire that the information given in “‘ The
Roller Canary ” should increase the knowledge regarding
the song of our birds, so that every lover of Rollers
should understand the subject thoroughly. The cult of
the Roller is not old in England, we have taken it from
the Germans, therefore, the language used in describing
the song naturally follows that which has been associated
with the bird for hundreds of years on the Continent.
In the present-day songs we have the high, the
medium, and the deep passages, called Tours. In the
higher tours the music is inferior to the medium, in
the deeper tours it is best, so far as purity of tone is
concerned. For this reason the widest range of varia-
tions is to be found in the deep tours and the narrowest
in the high. Also, for the same reason, the middle or
medium and the deeper tours are much more valuable
than the high ones.
We may therefore classify the melody into three
divisions, as follows :—
Piigher pitched”, Fours. .is..:3...+... Fair
Medium or middle Tours......... Good
BEI DOMES: 5 ce incieecveas ve Very good
E*
68 THE’ ROLLER ‘CANARY
For breeders who have a knowledge of music the
compass of the more valued tours is set forth below.
| |
2 SOWIE
Lg
. LE, OM:
bell
— Hnerre (lass)
jo | | ga tae
The Roller Canary’s Song in Musical Notation.
THE ROLLER CANARY 69
Flute notes are sung in every pitch shown with the
exception of the range given for Bass.
Each single note represents the various degrees of the
musical scale on which the tour named can be per-
formed, but it will be well here to remark that birds are
not limited to our musical notation, which consists of
tones and semitones. Their song has no fixed gradations,
but shades into quarter and even eighth-tones, and this,
of course, enriches the modulation.
The outside limit for the high tours is given as G
sharp above the stave, but if the bird does not sing
tenderly and softly, the performance may be faulty, even
though it may only reach F sharp.
The complete compass of the song is practically three
octaves; the soft rustling tour of former days, known as
Schwirre, stretched the compass higher.
ON MEASURING THE BEATS
It is possible to a certain degree to measure the beats
in Bell, Hollow Bell, Schockel, Flutes and Gluck, as
these tours are syllabic, but with Hollow Roll, Bell Roll,
Bass, Koller, Schwirre, and Water Roll, it is scarcely
possible, as these tours are more of a tremolo, trilling or
warbling nature, so that scarcely any break up into
syllables is noticeable.
The style of syllable, the blending of various
consonants, and the movement in the different keys
constitute certain melodic entities which are called Tours.
By analysis of their structure, t.e., their composition, and
the manner in which they are built up, as also the ground
tone (vowel key sound) on which they are sung, all these
tours may be divided into three large groups :—
70 THE ROLLER CANARY
1. Simple continuous Tours in Rolling form, 1.e.,
tours where the run is not broken by beats; Schwirre,
Bell Roll, Hollow Roll.
2. Simple discontinuous Tours in bell-like form;
Bell, Hollow Bell, Schockel, Gluck, Flutes.
3. Composite Tours, being partly-rolling, partly
bell-like in form; Bass, Koller, Water Roll.
ESOoCoocboosApstertrniss
Hollow Ped Foasihor Von tt
lositien
The structure gives us the most essential character-
istic of each tour, and the study of this renders it easier
for the breeder to recognise and name the tour. The
musical value of a tour lies in the quality of its tone, and
judges award points accordingly. Tours are good or
faulty, according to their tone quality.
CHAPTER XIII
SIMPLE, CONTINUOUS TOURS IN ROLLING
FORM
HE characteristic of all rolling tours lies in the
“> unbroken continuity of the syllables in conjunc-
tion with the consonant ‘“‘r.”’ In all tours with
a rolling rhythm, the r is audible, in one more distinctly,
in another less so.
A roll without an r is a contradiction; the syllables
are formed in the most intimate blending with this
consonant, which thus imparts to them the rolling
movement. If the r is absent, there can be no unbroken
roll, no continuous turning, whirring, sound as the song
progresses.
The simplest Roll tours are found on the higher
scale, and start with Schwirre as the highest. Then,
somewhat lower in pitch, comes Bell Roll, and lower
still (medium down to the deepest) comes Hollow Roll.
SCHWIRRE (THE WHIRRING, WHIZZING TOUR)
In the composition of Schwirre the ground tone is
1,” blended with “r,’’ and sometimes also “b,” and
ce 9
s,’ so that it runs in riririri, sriririri or sbririri in a
continuous fashion.
Its quality depends upon the purity, clearness of the
ce > ce >
“i,” and the force of the consonants “r, s)" anid
E.'S: SF
“‘b,?? Nevertheless the weakest, thinnest “i” may be
ae
72 THE ROLLER CANARY
good, if performed very softly (pianissimo), and tenderly.
The ‘“r” must be lightly breathed, and it must be
blended so softly with the “i” interwoven with a sub-
dued “‘s,” that it is scarcely perceptible, just sufficient to
maintain the “i” in a state of vibration. The “Sri”
sung thus, high and pure, with the vowel full
and falling in a long, swinging phrase, forms a charming
episode.
This tour ingratiates itself by its soft, placid,
melodious character and its silvery tone. Such a
Schwirre starts pianissimo, gradually increases to forte,
and then passes along down to a wonderful Hollow
Roll.
>
AN ARTISTIC PERFORMANCE
It is difficult to breed such a high placed “i” and at
the same time for it to be of such a fine quality. Most
of our present-day deep songsters are not able to perform
it pianissimo; their Schwirre is rough, sharp, hard, and
is therefore a danger. A deep songster, however, who
can perform in soft falsetto a pure Schwirre with a fine
tone shading is a valuable bird. One must be able to
picture in one’s own mind such an artistic performance
in order to gauge its value.
If Schwirre, although soft and pure, is sung
“straight,” i.e., on one note, the falling and swelling
out as described above being lacking, it is of less value,
as also the following:—Vowel “i” not clear, some-
thing between “i” and “e” (nasal) Predominance of
the “r”; coarse. Predominance of the “s” ; sharp.
Frequent, distinct accentuation of the “b” sound;
hammering.
THE ROLLER CANARY 73
If other than these three consonants appear in these
high notes, such as “‘ dschri,” we get Schnetter Schwirre,
one of the most dangerous faults in the Roller song.
BELL ROLL
Composition: The ground tone is “i,” and the
thinner sound “u.”” The consonant is “ r.
The word “roll ’’ denotes the character of this tour,
and “bell”? shows the position it occupies on the
musical scale. This tour therefore occupies the same
position on the register as Bell in contrast with the
deeper rolling tour Hollow Roll.
The idea that Bell Roll is so-called because it tinkles
and rolls at the same time is incorrect, for a pure Bell
Roll is sung in one continuous series “riririri,” or
“rurtrtrt,” whilst Bell is discontinuous (for lack of a
better word), and does not roll.
Its quality depends upon the purity of the vowels
Nig eae ” and the force of the “r.” The vowel
”
i and ty
must be nicely rounded so as to manifest tonality; the
“r?? must not drown the vowel. The tour is of less
value if the vowels are indistinct, lacking in purity or too
thin, or if they are dominated by the ‘“r” so that the
song becomes coarse, dull, nasal, hard or dry. The high
vowel ‘‘i” sung with open beak and a strong air current,
combined with “r” or, “‘s,”’ results in shrillness. If
‘sch? is mingled with the “r”’ and “i” the tour will
be shallow and broad.
Bell Roll counts among the higher pitched good
tours, and forms the bridge between Schwirre and
Hollow Roll.
74 THE ROLLER CANARY
HOLLOW ROLL
The hollow is founded on ii, 0, n, a, 6, e, a, and
the roll is formed by the blending of the consonant r,
therefore the syllable is rii, ro, ru, etc. The quality of
the tour consists in the purity of the vowel, and the
enunciation of the “r.’’ The finest ground tones are
ui, o, u and a full round 6; these vowels, possessing of
themselves a natural roundness, impart a wonderful
fulness and charm to the song.
Vowels a, e, 4 are of less value; a is somewhat weak
and dull, e and 6 (the latter if not full and round) are
coarse and heavy, and therefore weaken the tonality;
a is bordering on the nasal, which is risky.
If the “r’”’ is so evident as almost to smother the
vowel sound, the tour becomes coarse, hard, and some-
times scratchy; if it is moderate, combined with a deep
“u,” or “o,” the tour runs on, gushing and purling.
If the “‘r” is quite subdued, a soft k, h, and | being
heard vibrating, the song becomes noble, charming,
lulling (kullering), thus :—Klruhlruhlrohlroh.
This kullering Hollow differs from simple Hollow
Roll by reason of these soft, waving, hovering con-
sonants, in deep, full tone, and the almost complete
absence of the “r”’; it is evidently a development or
expansion of Hollow Roll on “u” and “o.”
Hollow Roll may, in general, be divided into four
series, High, Middle, Deep, and Deepest. The high is
of least merit, ground tone “i” ; the middle is fair,
ground tone “iti”; the deep is good, ground tone “ti”
and “6”; the deepest is the best, ground tone “o”
ania hus"?
When Hollow Roll is sung on one tone only, it is
THE ROLLER CANARY 75
called “ straight,” riiriiriirti, and so on. If it descends
in tone, the syllable changes as it falls, rurtiru—-rororo,
and so on; this is called falling Hollow Roll. If it
Sigh /esifop,
2, Wo
TO,
LVedoug in
Becpesl
lee i Meiers pf
++
<7 ee
fu fu TO £070 Tu Tub Jd % A a 2
ascends in tone, it is called rising Hollow Roll rororo—
rururu.
If the bird in one breath sings in varying pitch,
~~ Straight Hallow [oll
Tu
TT ire), Fa ling Sto/low toll
~ :
eee Frising Llollow Froll
Sect x Bee:
fo ee
DG a
ru
Bent Stollow (oll
alternately rising and falling, the tour is called bent
Hollow Roll, rorororurururoro, and so on. The
above drawing will make this clear.
76 THE ROLLER CANARY
Hollow Roll has the widest range of all the rolling
tours, and, therefore, it varies considerably in pitch, as
also in tone colour. For this reason it is regarded by
many as the most beautiful of all the tours. These are
matters of taste. It is very difficult to cultivate it deep,
and there is always a danger of it going faulty, indefinite,
nasal. Straight Hollow Roll, even when deep, is always
sung on one note; a good falling roll sounds better, but
the ideal is the deep, bent varicty, rising and falling in
several keys.
CHAPTER XIV
SIMPLE, DISCONTINUOUS TOURS IN BELL-
LIKE FORM
that the syllables follow one another in a certain
unconnected manner, so that there is a pause,
a tiny interval, as it were, discernible between each. In
B
|
TT characteristic of these tours lies in the fact
)))
>
S
)))))
~~
gS
S
8
>
S
©
aN.
yy)»
yyy
SS \\ Shocke/
ase
ae
the Roll tours the pause or space is filled up, bridged
over, by the intervening “rr,” whereas in the bell-like
tours there is no “ r.”’
To this division of tours belong Bell, the high-toned
tour, Hollow Bell, somewhat lower, deep Schockel,
Gluck and Flutes.
The ground tone rests on “i,” as in Schwirre and
77
78 THE ROLLER (CANARY
Bell Roll. The consonants are 1, h, d; the syllables
formed by combination, therefore, are lilili-hihihi—
dididi.
The quality depends upon the fullness and purity of
the vowel sound, the force of the consonants, 1, h, d, and
the measure of the pauses. These pauses regulate the
tempo, the beat, in other words the rate at which the
syllables are repeated.
THE HAMMERING BELL
Lilili gives the best effect, if not too slow, and the
effect is also good with hihihi if the beat be not too slow,
otherwise the tour is jerky. Dididi is only good when
the “‘d” is feeble, and the “i” pure and soft; the beat
should be fast. If the vowel is hard and the consonant
is strongly marked, the tour has a knocking effect, and
may be called Hammering Bell.
As its name implies, a good Bell tour reminds one
of the sound and the beat of a little tinkling silver bell.
The simpler the sound, the more beautiful is the effect.
The tour loses value if the vowel “i” is not pure or
borders on “e.”
Bell is faulty if any but the above-named consonants
come in; “s,” combined with ‘“d” (dsidsidsi or
dsedsedse) is very dangerous; these noisy, unmusical and,
therefore, ugly combinations, stifle the ground tone,
and this series of syllables leads to Schnetter
(dschedschedsche).
Bell is sharp when the “i” is very thin and very
high, with “d” or “h” (perhaps a trace of “s”’) sung
in sharply divided syllables.
Nasal Bell is a melancholy tour on i, e, or a, com-
THE ROLLER CANARY 79
bined with n and s, ninini sni-sni-sni snesnesne,
sndsnasna. It is absolutely worthless.
Beil is somewhat undesirable if slow; the identity of
the tour gets lost, and the good effect suffers. In this
class of tour the beat should be faster in the higher than
in the lower pitch; there should be more movement.
Slow Bell is wearisome and lacks connectiveness, for the
reason that the higher i-sounds lack fullness. With
Schockel, on the contrary, a slow movement is very
beautiful, because the deep “o”’ and “u” sounds ring
out in full-toned rich volume, thus filling up the larger
interval in the heat.
Although Bell is only reckoned as a fair quality tour,
it should not be despised, as it makes an agreeable
variation in Canary song. In years gone by, one came
across some wonderfully pure Bell and this fact proves
that, though lightly esteemed in this present day, it is
capable of being soundly developed, in spite of its easy
degeneration and consequent difficulty in cultivation.
HOLLOW BELL
The ground tone is “ii”; the consonants are | and h
(lululu, hiihiihii); its composition, therefore, is very
simple.
The quality depends upon a pure “ti” with a soft
“1”? or “h.’? The vowel varies in roundness and full-
ness, so heightening or lessening the tonality. The 1
gives the song a delightful lulling lullaby effect, and is
a better tour than Hollow Bell with h.
The h lengthens out the syllables so that the structure
becomes loose, and the effect is jerky, hammering or
dragging, sometimes baying (as a hound), and so we
ia9
80 THE ROLLER CANARY
have the tour described as slow, hammering, etc.;
nevertheless, if these forms are sung pure, the tour may
be classed as fair. Hollow Bell is faulty when the key
vowel does not ring true, and borders on e or 4. When
nasal, it may be dangerous.
Hollow Bell should come between Bell and Schockel
on the register, and in this position it is reckoned as a
good tour. Its range is greater, and its tonality better
than that of simple Bell, and it should therefore score
more on the judging standard.
SCHOCKEL
The ground tones of Schockel are the same as Hollow
Roll, deep ti, 0, u, also a, a, 6, e. The consonants are
h and 1, occasionally g and b, ho-ho-ho, hu-hu-hu,
hii-hu-hu, lo-lo-lo, lu-lu-lu, li-li-lu, etc., etc.
Schockel cannot be confused with Hollow Roll, for
it does not roll; the “‘r” is entirely absent. The trilling
tour Hollow Roll does not ring out its notes in separate
beats like Schockel, but pours forth a roll in tremolo
form, and, therefore, one should not be mistaken for
the other. In Schockel, the purity of the vowel is the
measure of the quality; the consonants are of less im-
portance. It is best sung on pure u, 0, U; on a it is not
so good, tending, as it does, towards flatness. On 6, e
and a it is apt to degenerate into the nasal. The con-
sonants h and | are, as a rule, only slightly audible, whilst
g and b have a somewhat angular beat. Most of the
faults in Schockel occur in the vowel section, and incline
to nasal.
Bell has been likened to the tinkle of a tiny bell,
, THE ROLLER CANARY 81
Hollow Bell to the sound of a larger, and Schockel to
that of a big bell.
Schockel has been described as a long, lowly-drawn-
out Hollow Bell tour. A fine exhibition of true, deep
Schockel is where the beat is first slow, then quickens,
the tone at the same time gaining in volume, a wonderful
intensity of fullness; the beats then slow down again and
gradually die away.
Schockel is never “bent,” because it is a dis-
continuous tour. The notes of Hollow Roll are strung
together in one unbroken (continuous) chain, and, like
a chain, may be bent. The notes in Schockel, on the
contrary, do not form a run, they consist of a succession
of beats separated by tiny pauses or intervals, and there-
fore can only rise and fall. The diversity in modulation,
the change in the variety, which deep Schockel brings in
alongside Hollow Roll heighten its value. There is a
general desire to hear this tour in our present-day
songster, and for that reason it is very much sought after.
™ conclusion we would say that Schockel is deep sister
to Hollow Bell.
GLUCK
In Gluck the best ground tones are u and o, the good
are © and i, the fair to faulty are a, e, 6, 4, i. The
consonants are gl, kl, bl:—Gluk-gluk-gluk, glok-glok-
glok, etc. Blukluk-blukluk, bloklokloklok, etc.
In the Gluck tours and their variations the separate
(discontinuous) syllables are plainly distinguishable.
The tonality in the deeper kinds of Gluck is better in
measure as the syllables are more distinctly divided off.
If the consonants are brought too closely together, that
F
82 THE ROLLER CANARY
is to say, if the song is too fast, the ground tone is at
times smothered, so that the effect is clattering, splutter-
ing, shallow. If, on the other hand, the ground tone
has the predominance, the effect is very charming,
especially if it be a pure, deep, full hollow. This we
call Hollow Gluck. This variety is also called simple
(plain) Gluck.
Bell Gluck, as the name implies, is higher up the
scale, and has for ground tone ti with an i accompany-
ing, thus—gliii-glii-gliii, which gives it a double effect.
In double Gluck there is no “i,’’ as in Bell Gluck.
Immediately after the deep accentuated Gluck sound one
hears, as it were, a faint echo of Gluck an octave or a
fifth higher.
THE PLEASING WATER GLUCK
Another pleasing variety is Water Gluck. It is
somewhat similar to the sound caused by a little drop
of water falling into water, and the after-drip of the
rebounding drop. In a true sense it is also a double
Gluck, because you get the deep u-sound with “i,” on
the after beat.
The consonants bl and gl must be soft (bluik-bluik,
gloik-gloik). It differs therefore from Hollow Gluck by
its double character and its water effect. When weak
and faulty it sounds on a and 4, and the consonants
are hard.
By reason of their own peculiar construction, of their
extensive variations, and consequent changes in tone
effect, the Gluck tours form an important group in the
treasure house of the Song Canary. In former years
they were cultivated very largely, and with great success,
THE ROLLER CANARY 83
being both pure and artistic. Being, however, difficult
to breed, and lightly esteemed in consequence, they fell
out of the running, as the Hollow Roll bird, which in the
meantime became ‘“‘ fashionable,” was easier to breed
pure, and also easier to sell. There was scant reward,
therefore, for the breeder of Gluck birds. The cultiva-
tion of the Gluck tours has again lately set in with
success, and is being made a study of by fanciers, thus
livening up the sporting instinct.
FLUTES
The very good ground tones are u, 0, i. The good
ones are li, 1, au, a. The fair and sometimes faulty are
i, €, a, 6, iu, iau, io. The best consonant is a soft d,
the next best is t. The bad are ts, tz. Each flute is
composed of one syllable (monosyllable).
A pure vowel with soft a has a good effect; the
deeper and the middle register flutes are of more value
than the higher pitched, because the tone of the former
is better. Anyhow, high flutes must be tender and soft,
in order to escape being faulty. If the pure vowel sound
is lengthened somewhat, it has a drawn-out, melancholy,
plaintive effect; some of these flutes are very beautiful.
The impure vowels, 4, 6, e, give us nasal flutes.
Hard flutes occur with the consonant t (tii); when sung
short many such will be hammering flutes, and they may
be found on all the notes of the register; on the higher
notes they also come out as sharp flutes. Sharp, also, is
the effect if an s or z comes between t and the vowel,
thus :—tsi, tzi, tziau.
The effect in flutes is heightened when the separate
Fe
84 THE ROLLER ‘CANARY
syllables are sung discreetly and in moderation, and
loses in value when they are too hasty, ragged, with
frequent repetition in one long succession. A good bird
should not sing more than four flutes on one note
(du-du-du-du). If he changes his key, however, the song
is enhanced, and in spite of the length, the effect may be
beautiful (du-du-du-dii-dii-dii-do-do).
Flutes belong to the class of simplest tours. Looking
upon a bird’s tours collectively as one performance, flutes
may heighten the general effect, as, for instance, a finish
to Schockel and Hollow Bell, or in a transition from
Hollow tours into Bass, or when deep, as a prelude to
the song.
A PLEASING CHANGE IN SONG
When introduced at the right time in the right place
they make a pleasing change in the division of the song,
forming a bridge between the Roll tours and the Bell
tours, or vice versa. On the other hand, many flutes
interspersed here and there spoil the song and interfere
with the unfolding of the other tours.
As simple, monosyllabic tours, flutes have little
importance from a strain-breeding point of view, but,
being tours of accompaniment, and seeing that, in spite
of their great variety, they must not be too plentiful nor
be too conspicuous in any single performance, their
possible scoring points should be fairly high on the
judging standard. Points should also be reckoned in the
general effect column, for or against, according to the
manner in which they are introduced and in so far as
they spoil or enhance the effect.
CHAPTER XV
COMPOUND TOURS, PARTLY IN ROLLING,
PARTLY IN BELL-LIKE FORM
tion of consonants, combined with hollow vowel
sounds. Frequently the syllables, taken singly, are
rolling in their nature, but in their sequence they are
divided off by little pauses or intervals, and therefore are,
so to speak, bell-like or Schockel-like (rocking, swinging),
and Gluck-like. To this division belong Knorre (bass),
Koller, Water Roll, and Gluck Roll.
| N these tours we get syllables with a large accumula-
KNORRE (BASS)
Composition. The best ground tones are o and u;
the less valuable are e, a, 4. The consonant in evidence
in this tour is r of a double and treble force (rrr) in con-
junction with g, k, and n (knorrr, korrr, kurrr, knurrr).
Bass may run its course in a rolling, continuous form;
such a tour may be described as Bass Roll. If the
cohesion is broken (discontinuous), so that the run is
divided up by tiny beats or intervals, and as it were
rocking (schockel-like) or gluck-like, then the _per-
formance is partaking of the bell-like, ringing character.
Diversions of this nature are known as Gluck Bass,
Schockel Bass, Koller Bass.
All varieties of Bass must be sung hollow, with the
85
86 THE ROLLER CANARY
closed beak, otherwise they are not nice. In Bass Roll
the vowels and consonants should be equally balanced
—i.e., they should be emphasized with the same force;
the result will be a vigorous purring, firmly, evenly,
closely knit together.
What there was of Knorre (Bass Roll sung on the o)
fifteen years ago or so was good. At that time Knorre
(Bass Roll sung on a) was in favour and had good points
awarded, but, being shallow, flat and harsh in tonality
it was of little value.
SONG OF EXCEPTIONAL BEAUTY
On the other hand we have now developed out of
Bass Roll a Hollow Bass of exceptional beauty; the
rumbling consonants are in this tour relegated to the
background, the vowel sound comes out plainer, and
one hears at the same time a further ti or 1 sounding out
a fourth, a fifth, or an octave higher. One therefore has
to do with a double or two-tone Bass (Knorre). The
effect is very pleasing, well balanced throughout, a very
beautiful harmonious combination.
Another grand example of the Bass type is when
the bird starts with a good Bass Roll, and then, passing
on to a yet deeper Hollow Bass, finishes off by widening
out into Gluck-like form. In such a series three kinds
of Bass are heard; the last-named is Gluck Bass (Gluck-
Knorre), in which one can detect a soft I.
Koller Bass predominates in the deepest hollow; the
Knorre sound (rrr) is intermingled with a hollow o and u
is a Schockel, tremolo form. If the Knorre sound lies
quite in the background, the vowel sounds u or o,
gushing forth in a vibrating, shaking Hollow; we should
THE ROLLER CANARY 87
describe this as a Kullering Hollow rather than as a
Knorre.
Of course, complete harmonious balance between the
Knorre and this Gluck Hollow or Koller Hollow is the
ideal of a fine Bass. So soon as the bird opens his beak,
be it ever so slightly, the tour degenerates, the ground
tone becomes thereby shallow and nasal, and the con-
sonants sound sharp and rasping.
Bass is of great importance in Canary song. All
breeders are agreed that it is the foundation of the song,
the bass voice, and it has an agreeable effect upon the
whole performance, which is pleasing to the ear. It is
no chance product, but requires careful selection and
breeding to cultivate and improve upon. ‘The many
consonants in these tours (rrr, etc.) by their nature
produce notes that lie deep; they need also to be sung
uncommonly fast to ensure good tonality. A high-
pitched bass of good tone does not exist.
NO SIMPLE MATTER
For these reasons the cultivation of a deep bass is
evidently no simple matter. Knorre is of all present-day
Hollow Tours the deepest, and, so far as the author has
yet been able to verify, the highest bass lies always about
an octave to an octave and a half deeper than the deepest
Hollow Roll.
Of late years some wonderful variations have been
developed from Knorre, so that it can certainly be
regarded as the parent tour of many new forms; it is,
therefore, the correct thing to reckon it as a fully-
qualified tour for strain breeders. On account of its
depth, its wide range of tone, its wonderful capacity
88 THE ROLLER CANARY
for variation, its difficulty in cultivation and its position
as a parent or strain tour, it is fully qualified to rank
with Hollow Roll in value.
WATER ROLLS
Composition. The good ground tones are based on
the vowels 0, u, tu; if on a they are less valuable.
The accompanying consonants are w, g, d, d, 1, r, b, and
so arranged that they form syllables, such as the
following :—gwudlrudlgwudlrudl;_ —rodlgwodlrudlrod];
gwadlradlgwadradl;__bliudlrudlbliudlrudl, — bludlrudl-
bludlrudl; bliudlriudlriud|bliudl.
The play of the Water Rolls reminds us of the
gurgling, rushing, bubbling of a tiny brook, whirling
and eddying over its pebbly shallows. We may imitate
the sound somewhat by dipping little tubes of various
sizes in water and blowing through them. The larger
the tube the deeper the tone; the deeper it is dipped into
the water the more hollow, subdued and soft is the
resultant tone. Now, if the tube be slowly withdrawn,
one can plainly detect a weakening of the ground tone
and a stronger outflow of air bubbles until, when the
surface is reached, the bubbling becomes a weak, broad,
splashing ripple which has no value for producing
effect. '
In the Canary song we make a distinction between
a simple Water Roll, which splashes a little more or less,
and its deeper sister tours, Hollow Water Roll or Kuller-
ing Water Roll, which are more beautiful and valuable.
Both these are sung with the beak quite closed, the bl
and dl sounds are softly intoned, and, together with the
Schockel or swing-like movement, this gives a very
THE ROLLER CANARY 89
charming effect. The best quality tour is sung deep on
the vowel u.
These Water Rolls are therefore precious jewels in
the storehouse of our songsters, and it is only birds
of the deepest strains which are able to perform
such without detriment to the other parts of their
song.
Water Rolls are of the greatest importance in the
furtherance of the development of Canary song; the
uncommonly deep pitch is inexhaustible for the
production of fresh forms and variations.
Like the Bass tours, they are a fertile source of tone,
deep, fundamental, parent tours, and really deserve to
stand on a level for points with Hollow Roll and Knorre.
In their shallow and weaker forms they may certainly
also be quite as dangerous.
KOLLER
The ground tones of Koller are o, u, Ui, 6, 61, au, eu.
The consonants are bl, gw, kw, r, 1. The syllables
sung in Koller are brloiroiluilui—briilluillii, bloiroirui
—blrauiroiloi, gwlrairoirui—kwlreuiliullii.
Koller may be sung in two styles—namely, as Hollow
Koller and Water Koller. The Hollow Koller style
gives the impression of relationship with Hollow Roll,
the Water Koller style leans towards the Water Roll,
Knorre, and Gluck family.
A characteristic of Koller is the sound ringing
out in each beat, while alternating deep down we have
the sounds u, 6, li, au, 00, or eu rocked in (schockelled)
in combination with the consonants 1, h, or rl. The
effect produced is a series of syllables, succession of beats,
‘6s 9
i
90 THE ROLLER CANARY
of a two-voiced and three-voiced nature, having
somewhat of the effect of a trichord.
One description of the rise and fall of what gives
an effect of a three-toned or trichord Koller is given
thus:—The ‘ri’? moves on with a roll an octave
higher than the deep Koller breast notes, and, like these,
it changes its pitch at the same time; in other words, the
“‘ri”’ rises and falls, while at the same time, in the
deeper key, a tremolo lillillii, combined with lallalla,
rises to lillilli, combined with lillillu, to fall deep on to
lullo, lollo, blobllobllo, or kollokollo.
In Koller, one hears nothing of Knorre, nothing of
Hollow Roll, and nothing of Gluck, but a pure Hollow
in quick, rhythmic movement. The bird, in fact, sings
the word Koller. As we say Knorre when the bird
sings Bass, so we call the tour Koller when a bird sings
the text—kollerkollerkoller, etc.
WONDERFUL MUSICAL EFFECTS
Here let us remark that there are variations;
sometimes the “k” is left out, and so we have
ollerolleroller, another bird will slur over the “r,’’ and
one hears kollokollokollo; sometimes the “‘k”’ is soft
or is replaced by ““b”’; sometimes in place of the “‘o”
we get “ui” (kuller), or e, i, a. According as a con-
sonant is left out or another is introduced, the effect
differs. We get thus certain variations, which are,
however, fundamentally Koller-forms. In those of
medium depth one may plainly detect the treble effect,
whereas in those of deeper pitch one may hear the double
effect.
The wonderful musical effects which Koller produces
THE ROLLER CANARY gI
constitute a singularly beautiful diversity in Canary song,
which is bound to bring delight to every one with good
taste and judgment. We know that many years ago,
some birds had, besides the above style of Koller, a very
deep Hollow Roll, a brilliant Knorre, and no nasty faults,
not even Aufzug; they sang so fluently, fervently, and
with such modulation that it was astonishing. It has
therefore been established that Koller birds can be bred
pure both as to tours and quality of tone, so that those
breeders who are afraid of cultivating Koller on account
of its presumed liability to produce faults are in the
wrong.
On account of its wonderful effect, its many-sidedness,
its difficulty to breed, and its importance as being a deep,
fundamental tour, Koller is highly esteemed. In past
times it was called the “‘ Queen of. all the Tours.”’
During the period devoted to breeding the easier Hollow
Roll it seldom appeared, but of late endeavours have
happily been made to resuscitate this deep tour and to
widen its popularity, and thereby to further enrich the
bird’s noble song. Whether we succeed in winning
back the early style of Koller time alone will show.
Koller is at present valued for points the same as Hollow
Roll and Bass Roll.
GLUCK ROLLS
The good ground tours in Gluck Rolls are u, 0, u;
the less valued are e, a, 4. The consonants are g, k,
tr, 1, The syllables formed are glruk-glruk-glruk, glrok-
glrok-glrok, glriik-glriik-glriik.
Gluck and Roll being here combined, the result is a
discontinuous Roll tour. Each syllable possesses an “ r,”’
which gives it the roll form; each syllable, however, is
g2 THE ROLLER CANARY
separated by a tiny interval, so that one detects a
succession of rolling syllables separated in a scarcely
perceptible manner by a series of beats. As we have
here the consonant “ g,” the beats are plainly discernible.
Like all other tours, the quality (tonality) depends
upon the purity and fullness of the ground tones, the
softness of the consonants, and the knitting together of
the syllables; in other words, the perfection of the run.
Impure, faulty vowels sound nasal, loud consonants
sound hard and pointed; a slack run leaves the tours
loose, clattering, watery, which is also bad. To perform
the tour well so that the bird produces a full tone, in
spite of the numerous swift beats, he needs strong lung
force. The finest form of this tour is Hollow Gluck Roll.
Gluck Rolls are plentiful; when deep, they are fine
passages, and therefore enrich the song. Already the
deep position of this tour is commanding higher
appreciation, for all deep tours should—nay, must—be
fostered.
CHAPTER XVI
FAULTS IN SONG
purity and tonality required. Examples of faulty
delivery exist in every tour, and these, of course,
lower or entirely annul their value. The tours we have
named have faults, which we here enumerate :—
Hollow Roll.—Nasal, broad, watery, scratchy,
dull, thin.
Bass.—Nasal, broad, jarring, watery, rattling,
crackling, weak.
Koller.—Nasal, loose, weak.
Schockel.—Nasal.
Hollow Bell.—Nasal, jumpy, dragging, baying, hard.
Gluck.—Nasal, blunt, weak, clattering, loud.
Water Roll.—Nasal, broad, hard, sharp.
Bell.—Nasal, jerky, hammering, sharp, thin, shrill,
penetrating, dragging, schnetter-like.
Bell Roll.—Nasal, hard, broad, weak, sharp.
Schwirre.—Nasal, sharp, hard, broad, weak, shrill,
thin, schnetter-like.
Flutes.—Nasal, hard, sharp, hammering, penetrating,
thin.
Besides valuable tours with faults as above, there are
others which we might also describe as bad tours and
very dangerous to song. They are:—{1) Aufzug, (2)
call notes, interjections, (3) Zitt, Schnetter, Schnatter,
Chop.
Pe pus tours are those which come short of the
93
94 THE ROLLER CANARY
Aufzug (short breath, recovery).—The ground tones
of Aufzug are i, e, 4, 6, ie. The consonants are tz, trs,
ck, g, d, st. The syllables formed are tzri, strisz, gritz,
ritsch, ritz, retsch.
We get several qualities, soft, quiet, long, short, weak,
hard, shrill and sharp. Among other things the con-
sonants are sharply accentuated in combination with the
vowels given and the beak is opened wide. Where the
Aufzug is weak, the opening of the beak is not so pro-
nounced. Points are deducted according to the extent
of the demerits.
INTERJECTIONS AND EXCLAMATIONS
By call notes we understand so-called interjections
and exclamations with which some birds prelude their
song or introduce into it during its course. In present-
day birds they have happily become scarce, art and
diligence having succeeded in breeding them out; for
all that there are faulty specimens occasionally to be met
with. The sounds we come across are wid-wid, id-id,
wis-wis (whispering), will-will, tzick-tzick, tzitt-tzitt, siss-
siss-siss, tzep-tzep, hie, eye, wy, and similar objectionable
noises. The penalty points for these range higher
comparatively than in Aufzug.
Tzitt, Schnetter, Schnatter—These three bad faults
are also no longer so plentiful as in former times. The
Tzitt fault occurs when it appears no longer as the
interjection already referred to, but is repeated con-
tinuously as a tour. Schnetter proceeds from a weak,
unmusical, hard or broad Schwirre or Bell, and also in
the form of dsched-sched-sche. Schnatter is related
to Schnetter, harping on dschad-dschad, and is the
THE ROLLER CANARY | 95
stepping-stone to the Chopping noise (Chop), tzschepp,
tzschapp, tzschiapp. In Schnatter and Chop the lower
mandible is freely worked up and down. Needless to
say, these can earn no points; they have no value
whatever, and birds possessing them are not to be
recommended for the breeding-room.
LEADING QUALITIES
In valuing the tours singly as integral parts of the
whole, certain leading qualities should be borne in mind.
1.—The position of the tour on the register—s.e.,
its musical pitch, high, medium, low, etc.
2.—Purity (not nasal, etc.).
3.—Tonality (the finish, the harmonious ring of the
tour).
4.—Fullness (not broad, thin, weak).
5.—Force (well defined, distinct, not feeble, etc.).
6.—Length (duration).
Besides these six qualities other things have to be
taken into account when we view the song as a whole—
namely, the manner and way in which the tours hang
together, their progression and connection, their
sequence, their style of variation, repetition of the same
tour in the song, the number of tours of first category,
the harmonious and inharmonious tours, the structure
of the song, and its effect upon a_ well-trained
sympathetic, musical ear, also the harmonious assembling
of the second and third category tours into one whole,
well-knit, self-contained song.
The above outlines the requirements which have
to be met in order to make a good harmonious execution
96 THE ROLLER CANARY
and delivery. On the competition judging-sheets, the
words “General effect” are used to express their
harmonious delivery, and points are given according to
its excellence, just as they are given to each individual
tour.
CHAPTER XVII
THE BELL TOURS
HE name “ Hollow Bell,” as given to one of the
£ tours of the Roller Canary, speaks for itself; it is
a bell tour with a hollow sound. The bord sr limit
‘'setween bell and hollow bell can scarcely be described
: words; it is a difference which the breeder must him-
-sc#t discover. As a rule it should not be a diiftctit
matter to a well-attuned ear to apprehend the difference
between the two. In the first place, Hollow Bell is
pitched deeper than Bell, and the ground tone is a full
sounding U (the French u), and sometimes “ ou,” while
the Bell Tour simple is sounded on “ ee.”
HOW BIRD-SONG IS PRODUCED
If we examine the difference in our own mode of
delivery, we find that, on pronouncing this syllable
“ee,” the sound is a shallow one, whereas to pronounce
the French u (ii) the mouth widens and arches some-
what; in other words, hollows itself. The tongue also
is set further back, and thus widens the space round the
palate, and, in consequence, the ii sounds fuller,
rounder, more hollow than the ee.
In a similar fashion, the variations of tone are pro-
duced in the bird’s throat; his vocal chords produce the
ground note, and in the “ hollowing ” of his throat and
beak are the secrets of its fullness and tonality.
G 97
98
THE PRODUCTION OF BIRD SONG,
THE ROLLER CANARY
7 FER |
¢ 2
1
Bird Singing Hollow Bell.
Bird Singing Bell.
THE ROLLER CANARY 99
In bell we always have the opened beak; in hollow
bell, the beak is closed, or, at any rate, only very slightly
open, the beak and throat space is hollowed out, and this
means that the “tu” gains in volume and comes out as a
full, round, hollow tour. The closer the beak is kept
the more perfect the sound.
The finest effect and the fullest tonality in this tour
are produced when the bird, with closed beak, sounds a
full “ti”? with a gently breathed consonant “1,” thus:
“Vullullulli’’; hollow bell, with the ‘“h,’” thus:
“ Huhththi,” is not commonly met with, but is not
exactly a bad form.
ON VALUING A TOUR
The speed at which the syllables follow one another,
the rate of delivery, is a point for consideration in
valuing the tour as well as its tone quality; a vigorous
delivery, with fast repetition of the syllables well con-
nected together, is not tiresome, and will have scarcely
any prejudicial effect on the tunefulness of the song, but
a slow, dragging, tame delivery is wearisome and blunts
the effect, the song losing thereby all freshness and
animation.
In this latter instance we have an example of so-
called dragging Hollow Bell, which is not worth much.
It is common to hear this tour opening out in correct
time and then for a moment slowing down slightly in
the middle of the delivery soon to launch out again fresh
and free. This is a very agreeable variation, the effect
being very pleasing.
Hollow Bell, as also the Bell tour, may start with
ce 2?
the consonant “r,” peing quickly changed to the
100 THE ROLLER CANARY
characteristic ‘1 ”—‘‘ riillillulli.”. One often comes
across the expression, ‘‘ Bent hollow bell,” but bell tours
are not bent, for between the syllables given above there
are tiny, but distinct, intervals which are a characteristic
of these tours.
What, on the other hand, can be bent? The reply
is, only a cohesive structure. One can bend a cane, but
one cannot speak so of a chain. Rolling tours may bend,
but not bell tours. As a matter of fact, however, when
we have falling or rising hollow bell we get bending,
curving tone effects; these are transitions with a roll.
Of all the tours hollow bell suffers the least from
faulty variation; it is not an exceptional work of art, and
is to be found in most strains. One fault to avoid is
nasal hollow bell; its ground tones are “a” and “ ee,”’
with the beak open.
GOOD AND BAD SCHOCKEL
Schockel is brother to Hollow Bell, and is often
dubbed Hollow Schockel, but this is just as superfluous
as calling coal black. I should define Schockel as deep
tones rocking, waving, swinging, and shaking with the
rhythm of a bell. The ground notes are “t,” “o,”
“ou,” and the consonants are ‘“‘1” or “h”— lullul,”
‘‘ hoho,”’ “‘ houhou.”’
Schockel, in conjunction with deep, hollow roll, now
rising, now falling, is a prime tour when clear and pure
and well defined. There is something about this tour
which gives it its value and ennobles it as one of the
masterpieces in song; it is its sympathetic, melancholy
softness. There is a mysterious tragic note running
through it.
THE ROLLER CANARY IOI
Schockel belongs to the category of Bell tours; in
fact, it is a deep hollow bell. Many breeders confuse
it with the medium-pitched hollow bell, which also has a
Schockel-like (rocking) effect, but this not true Schockel;
it lacks the deep, soul-stirring melody.
Schockel has its faulty variations. In consequence
of its depth and its full structure, it creates a strong
demand on the bird’s song apparatus, and if this lacks
the required amount of strength and vigour to produce
the depth of tone we may get Schockel that is weak, thin,
or nasal. We sometimes hear men speak of laughing
Schockel, which, however, is a degenerated variety, the
ground note being “a.”
Schockel must not be confounded with the tremolo
roll tours. In the latter we have rolling, quivering,
trilling tones; in the former, we have an articulation
backwards and forwards, a swinging, waving movement
of the song syllables. Here we would repeat the old
illustration—namely, Bell, Hollow Bell, and Schockel
represent three bells, a small tinkling bell, a medium-
sized one, and a deep-toned bell. To correct any doubt
as to what is a bell tour and what is a roll, it might help
to keep the following adage in mind: “‘ what rings does
not roll, and that which rolls does not ring.”
CHAPTER XVIII
THE JUDGING OF ROLLERS
FAULTS OF OMISSION AND FAULTS OF
COMMISSION IN COMPETITION
This Chapter on Judging was coniributed by the well-
known Judge, the late Mr. H. G. Hill.
‘ X JHAT do we mean when we say “‘ Faults?”” We
have tried to catalogue them, but have we
succeeded in doing so? My own experience
has taught me that some of those birds which, judged by
that catalogue as faulty, are far better songsters than
many which are ticketed as “ pure.”’
I will endeavour to explain why I hold that view,
in the hope that beginners in the Fancy will be guided
thereby to think for themselves, and not be imprisoned
by hard and fast catalogue rules.
The cataloguing of faults is useful as a guide, but
it does not, and cannot, embrace all that should be
considered as faulty in a Roller’s song, and its great
drawback is that it often places a ban on some fault that
is in the catalogue, whilst blinding us to a more serious
fault that is not in that penalty list, and so escapes the
visible sign of penalization.
As an illustration, I have often heard novices regard
a bird with horror because he has in his song aufzug,
rather sharp flutes, or a bell that is delivered rather
102
THE ROLLER CANARY 103
vigorously, even though it be in the correct register for
that tour, and those same novices have looked on another
bird as a faultless singer—a bird that, owing to the faulty
habit of his song, or his thin and “ reedy ” tone, I would
not have at any price.
This because the one fault is catalogued for him to
read, and the other, and more dangerous one, is not.
The latter fault is penalized by every good judge, though
it is not in the list of catalogued faults; it is penalized by
allowing less for general effect. But the novice often
does not know that, so is apt to be led astray.
THE DEFINITION OF FAULTS
What, then, is our definition of ‘‘ faults”? There
are faults of omission as well as commission. But to
avoid confusion, we will define “fault”? as something
in the bird’s song which offends the ear of a good judge
as being opposed to the ideal.
We all know what sharp bell, sharp flutes and aufzug
are, to take the more common of the catalogued faults.
Let us deal with the faults which are not catalogued
and therefore not so familiar to the eye, even though
they be offensive to the trained ear.
First, there is the bird which gives up eighty per
cent. of his song period to the cheap, or low-scoring
tours, only touching at intervals the deeper and more
classical tours.
Every man who has judged Rollers knows what I
mean. You hear a bird again and again go over that
cheap stuff, and at last, when patience is nearly ex-
hausted, he will take a fit and drop down to something
104 THE ROLLER CANARY
of merit. That is a faulty bird, even though he may
Not possess one of the catalogued faults. I will compare
with him a bird who hangs on well to his deep tours,
only very slightly touching the cheap ones; a bird that
pleases you and holds your ear, but occasionally brings
one of the catalogued faults, not very badly, but sufficient
to gain him a black mark.
““BANG GOES SAXPENCE ”
“Here,” says the novice, looking at his catalogue,
“is a faulty bird—and here’s another that’s pure, never
a penalized point!” And “bang goes saxpence,” or a
little more, on the faultless singer.
That novice is going wrong. The one bird, a grand
singer, has one little fault of commission, the other a
serious fault of omission. ‘The one does his work well
and makes a little slip, the other does his work badly and
makes a fed-up judge. The one may breed you and train
you a champion, the other will give you nothing much
better than himself, for if there is one thing above all
others that young Rollers imitate in the tutor, it is this
lazy habit of sticking to the cheap and easy tours.
Let us compare now this good, deep, fine-toned
singer with one little fault with other types of songsters
deemed faultless because they have no fault that is in
the catalogue of faults.
Take the bird of thin and reedy tone, beside the
other bird as a tin whistle to an oboe. He has a nice
range of tours, perhaps, according to paper. He sings
no aufzug or sharp flute or sharp bell. He passed
without a mark against him.
But his song is a reedy murmur, with no music in
THE ROLLER CANARY 105
‘ >
it—no “guts,” to use an expressive term. There are
some who will tell you he is a “‘soft”’ bird, whereas
he simply lacks power, volume, tone. As a matter of
fact, he is not in the same street with the bird mentioned
above with the mark against him, either as a contest bird,
a tutor or a sire.
A WRONG IDEA OF MODERN TIMES
It is for this reason that I have always opposed the
idea that no bird with a mark against him should ever
win a first or any other prize, when there are these
‘pure ” (so-called) singers in the same class.
Having expressed these views, I must hasten to add
important qualifications. It must not be understood that
I hold a brief for sharp bell, sharp flutes and aufzug—I
do not. Nor do I think that any bird penalized for two
faults should ever be a first prize-winner. There is a
vast difference between two and one. The law, you
know, gives every dog first bite—but he mustn’t take
another, or off goes his head.
My firm conviction is that a really high-class bird
with one fault is still a good bird, and that a second-rate
bird, with no fault, is still a second-rater. All things
being equal, and the scores level, the unpenalized bird
should win, and that has always been done. But no
more than that if we value the progress of the birds.
When we hear it said, then, that all winners in
champion classes ought to be “ pure ”’ birds, let us think
of our definition, remember how many faults there are
that have no penalty column, and how few of those so-
called “pure” birds are really free from even more
serious faults than the bird penalized has himself.
106 THE ROLLER CANARY
FAULTS IN DEGREE
Now we will consider faults in degree, as we have
considered them in kind. What is the degree of fault
than can be forgiven, or when penalized, should not
count against a bird winning?
That is difficult to express by any rule of thumb. It
depends solely on the construction of the bird’s song,
the tone of the song throughout and the frequency with
which the fault enters that song. It can be decided
on the judging-table and there alone.
It depends chiefly on the extent to which the fault
jars on the ear. A bird that just touches sharp bell, and
then immediately, almost before your ear has caught it,
rolls away on to his deep song again, possesses a fault
that, in a full-toned and deep bird, will often add
piquancy to his song. The same with a not-too-hard
aufzug, gone almost before it is there. In another bird
exactly the same degree of fault, followed by his thin,
light and toneless song, might jar terribly.
The same with nasal. A rich-toned, full-sounding
singer may touch nasal on some of his tours, and it will
be not at all displeasing, whilst a weedy-toned bird, on
the nasal, makes you want to catch a train. You can
only tell what degree of discord there is when you hear
the harmony running with it. It is the whole song
combined that tells you what the fault is like, and that
alone.
Now, as to faults in a tutor. For two years I trained
with a bird that had the very worst aufzug in England,
and in some of his sons it came out nearly as bad, but
in others there was no aufzug at all. I am bound to
say that very few of your young will escape sharp bell
THE ROLLER CANARY 107
if it is in the tutor. It is the same with sharp flutes,
but they do not always—far from it—bring them as
badly as they may be in the tutor.
THEY DO NOT ALWAYS FOLLOW. THEIR TUTOR
If you train with a bird that has perfect bell, or even
no bell at all, you will find a big proportion of the young
come out with sharp bell; and though your tutor may
have perfect, or nearly perfect, flutes, some of the young
will take them higher and sharper. I have proved again
and again that if you train with a bird that sings no bell
tour, though the young will develop bell, sharp some-
times, in the training, they will gradually drop it when
their song matures, because not hearing the tutor follow
them, as it were, they begin to follow him. I have
found the same thing apply to sharp flutes, when
developed in the young, and no sharp flutes in the
tutor bird.
As so many youngsters develop faults even if the
tutor does not possess them, is it worth while to put
down your champion because he has one fault in his
song? For though the pupils may copy his fault, more
or less, they will also copy his virtues; and if you use
instead that second-rater, passed as “‘ pure,’’ you may find
yourself still with the fault and lacking the virtues at
the same time.
The most successful breeder of Rollers in this country
once said to me:—‘‘ What I look for in a tutor are
variety, depth, power of tone, and one little fault I never
mind.” After some years’ experience, I don’t think |
can give the Roller novices any better advice.
108 THE ROLLER CANARY
FAULTLESS BIRDS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST
If a man has the good luck to possess a champion
that has no fault, then he doesn’t need advice from any
man to use him. But either in contest, breeding-room
or training-room I would never put back a good bird
just because he had one fault in an otherwise grand
song, and put over him a bird not so good, even though
the latter did not commit a fault which could be
penalized.
It would mean putting many a real champion with
one fault into a back seat and hoisting up into premier
place third-rate birds whose faults don’t happen to come
into the catalogued list where the judge puts down a
straight stroke, often with a sigh. He has to let the
inferior bird go free, except that he sees he doesn’t get
many for his general effect.
It may be said that these faultless (so-called) birds are
bound to be good, for, as well as being unpenalized, they
reach their thirty points or so. But that is not the case.
A judge has to put down the value of the individual
tours when they are sung, however badly those tours
are connected, however infrequently the deep tours are
heard.
The scores of a bird are only a rough guide to his
value. You cannot put down on paper all that goes to
make your champion on the judging-table. His habit of
song, his organ-like volume of tone, his steady habit of
dwelling on the difficult and hard tours, his contemp-
tuous touching of the lighter tours as something
unworthy of him—you cannot put down on paper all
those virtues in him that make you wish he was yours,
any more than you can put down all those uncatalogued
THE ROLLER CANARY 109
faults in the other bird that make you glad you don’t
possess him.
But ll tell you what you can do, and it’s what I
always do. Whatever the scores for the individual
tours, I see that it is my best bird that comes out on top.
Here the “ general effect” column comes in, and I am
very glad to see many judges making a larger use of
that column than has ever been made before.
But what would be the use of all these efforts on the
part of a judge to weigh up everything for and against
a bird, those good points which are not catalogued as
such, and those faults which are unnamed, if he had to
put down into the cards his best bird because he had a
penalty mark against him? It would, in my opinion,
be the end of all good judging, and, in time, might well
make for the end of all good birds.
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