T
he origin of the Border Fancy Canary is still left in doubt, although many articles and letters attempting to fix its ancestry have been published in the general and Fancy press. Previous to the year 1826 we have only circumstantial evidence to go by. Certainly we have proof that the domestic Canary existed in this country early in the eighteenth century, and was then known as the Canary Serin. The former part of the name indicates its country of origin and the latter its true name, meaning Serin Finch. The original colour, we are told, was between green and grey. From the drawing of the Serin Finch we may see that our Wee Border still maintains its true outline and basic characteristics in general more than other variety of its progeny which appears on the show bench. We have therefore to thank the original breeders for much that is graceful and beautiful in the Border Canary. Nowhere in the early days of this century could you find keener fanciers than the shoemakers and weavers of the Border Counties of Scotland. Among them, the bird was bred in great numbers and what they did not know about the breed in general was not worth knowing. Each town or village had a distinct variety, some favoured clears, others the even marked variety, and a very few greens. Cinnamons at that time were very rare. The bird was known then as the Common Canary of Scotland. The bird is said to have been introduced into England by a shoemaker who took his birds with him from Langholm into Cumberland.
06 BIRD SCENE
ARTICLE BY COLIN EGNER
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