Manual of the
Waterslager or Malinois
Song Canary

by Gustaff Lelievre and L. Van Roelen.

More information on this wonderful 72 page book. Heavy card stock cover in canary yellow. Bound with comb binding (plastic ring comb). Protective clear plastic sheets at front and back for durability.
 
The classic Manual of the Waterslager was written by Gustaff Lelievre and L.Van Roelen.  Gustaff Lelievre was the best known judge and expert in waterslagers of his day.  L. Van Roelen was President of Belgium’s Ornithological Union (UOB) and of the World Ornithological Confederation (COM).  Although both of these men have died, their writings on the subject of waterslagers continue to be purchased and read in their native Belgium. This remains as important a work today as it was when it was first written and translated into French.

Now, for the first time, this book is available in English, complete with a brand new pronunciation guide and editorial updates of the text where appropriate.  The integrity of the original wording has been maintained and the new translation remains as close to the authors' intent as possible.

Major topics covered in the work include:  Origins of the Breed, Origins of the Names Waterslager and Malinois, Physical Aspects of the Waterslager, Generalities on the Song, Song Selection, Song Tutoring, Contest Cage Training, Practice Contests, Judging, Analysis of the Song, The Tours as a Group, Song Quality, Team Harmony, Detailed Analysis of Each Song Tour (the origin of its name/characteristics/comparisons to other sounds/necessary qualities/consonants and vowels employed/rhythm of the sound/ movement of the sound/and remarks for each tour), Improvised Tours, Song Faults, Other Points of Showing and Scoring, Ranking Birds and Teams, and, in addition to all the information on open caged showing, a brief overview of an alternate Belgian judging system:  Song Contests with Closed Cages and Evaluating Birds in that System.

Notions of the Heredity
of the Waterslager

by Gustaff Lelievre and F. Vasseur.

by G. L

Notions of the Heredity of the Waterslager was written by G. Lelievre in collaboration with COM International Judge, F. Vasseur. Lelievre’s fame as a waterslager expert is well established in Belgium and his books continue to be purchased and read there.

The availability of this book in English is a first. The book was translated with a view to maintaining the original wording and concepts as much as possible. The concepts of heredity shared go beyond what is found in the average canary book and deal specifically with song inheritance as well as with other issues.

Major topics in the work include:

• Preliminary Ideas of Inheritance.
• The Laws of Inheritance.
• Heredity Maladies.
• The Behavior of Predisposition in the Process of Heredity.
• The Heredity of Canary Song.
• The Influence of the Milieu.
• The Hereditary Structure of the Vocal Apparatus.
• Hereditary Predisposition for Song.
• The Diverse Directions of Song.
• Matters of Song in the Pairing and Breeding of Birds.
• Crossing to Effect a Conserving of the Same Song Quality.
• Crossing to Effect the Completing of the Repertoire of a Line by Adding a Tour from the Same or from a Different Song Direction.
• The Standard Colors of the Waterslager and the Functions of the Laws of Heredity.

The Song of the Waterslager
by G. Lelievre, M. Six and A. Meuleman, from B. Peleman's work.
A revision and adaptation of the work of B. Peleman, 1926, was an attempt to faithfully share the wisdom of Belgian waterslager author B. Peleman while at the same time updating the information as needed. This updating was accomplished by G. Lelievre, M. Six, and A. Meuleman of Belgium.

B. Peleman is not the father of the waterslager (there is one travel account written in the early 1700’s which mentions the already watery voice of the canaries in the neighborhood of Malines, Belgium), yet he certainly ranks among the most important evangelists of the modern version of this song breed. The body of his writings has been foundational to all later works and has, a strong argument may be made, served as the single best source of information ever produced on the waterslager song canary, and he should be seen as a pioneer in the dissemination of accurate information on this truly miraculous songster.

At this point, many generations of waterslager breeders and admirers have profited from his vast wisdom and experience. His work serves as a sound base for what has come since. In fact, as the editors have pointed out in their preface, Peleman’s words are still important and accurate, and they can serve as a theoretical basis for both further study and practice.

His importance to our own small successes when it comes to breeding and training good quality waterslagers of typical song cannot be overestimated, for the wisdom he freely shared has become part of the body of knowledge passed from one generation of breeders to the next across many decades and international boundaries.

The English translation seeks to keep the integrity of the original wording and intent.

Major topics in the work include:

• The History of the Waterslager Canary
• Characteristics of the Waterslager
• Generalities Concerning Song
• The Song Tours of the Waterslager
• Description and Analysis of Song
• Positive Tours
• Faulty or Negative Tours
• Judging Waterslager Canaries