Bird Study 49 



THE CANARY AND THE GOLDFINCH 



Teacher's Story 



N childhood the language of birds and animals is learned 

 unconsciously. What child, who cares for a canary, does 

 not understand its notes which mean loneliness, hunger, 

 eagerness, joy, scolding, fright, love and song! 



The pair of canaries found in most cages are not natural 

 mates. The union is one de convenance, forced upon them 

 by people who know little of bird affinities. We could 

 hardly expect that such a mating would be always happy. 

 The singer, as the male is called, is usually arbitrary and tyrannical and 

 does not hesitate to lay chastising beak upon his spouse. The expression 

 of affection of the two is usually very practical, consisting of feeding each 

 other with many beguiling notes and much fluttering of wings. The 

 singer may have several songs ; whether he has many or few depends upon 

 his education ; he usually shows exultation when singing by throwing the 

 headbacklike a prima-donna, to let the music well forth. He is usually 

 brighter yellow in color with more brilliantly black markings than his 

 mate; she usually has much gray in her plumage. But there are about 

 fifty varieties of canaries and each has distinct color and markings. 



Canaries should be given a more varied diet than most people think. 

 The seeds we buy or that we gather from the plantain or wild grasses, they 

 eat eagerly. They like fresh, green leaves of lettuce and chickweed and 

 other tender herbage; they enjoy bread and milk occasionally. There 

 should always be a piece of cuttle-fish bone or sand and gravel where they 

 can get it, as they need grit for digestion. Above all, they should have 

 fresh water. Hard-boiled egg is given them while nesting. The canary 

 seed which we buy for them is the product of a grass in the Canary Islands. 

 Hemp and rape seed are also sold for canary food. 



The canary's beak is wide and sharp and fitted for shelling seeds; it is 

 not a beak fitted for capturing insects. The canary, when drinking, does 

 not have to lift the beak so high in the air in order to swallow the water as 

 do some birds. The nostrils are in the beak and are easily seen ; the ear 

 is hidden by the feathers. The canary is a fascinating little creature 

 when it shows interest in an object; it has such a knowing look, and its 

 perfectly round, black eyes are so intelligent and cunning. If the canary 

 winks, the act is so rapid as to be seen with difficulty, but when drowsy, 

 the little inner lid appears at the inner corner of its eye and the outer lids 

 close so that we may be sure that they are there; the lower lid covers 

 more of the eye than the upper. 



The legs and toes are covered with scale armor; the toes have long, 

 curved claws that are neither strong nor sharp but are especially fitted for 

 holding to the perch ; the long hind toe with its stronger claw makes com- 

 plete the grasp on the twig. When the canary is hopping about on the 

 bottom of the cage we can see that its toes are more fitted for holding to 

 the perch than for walking. 



When the canary bathes, it ducks its head and makes a great splashing 

 with its wings and likes to get thoroughly wet. Afterward, it sits all 

 bedraggled and "humped up" for a time and then usually preens its 

 feathers as they dry. When going to sleep, it at first fluffs out its feathers 

 and squats on the perch, draws back its head and looks very drowsy. 



