347 



Bird. 



Class IL CANARY BIRD. 



Thefe birds take their name from their note, 

 which has no mufic in it : it is a familiar bird, and 

 more eafily tamed than the common linnet. 



We believe it breeds only in the Northern parts 

 of our iQand. 



Here it may not be improper, to mention the Ca- Canary 

 nary bird* ^ which is of the finch tribe. It was ori- 

 ginally peculiar to thofe ides, to which it owes 

 its name; the fame that were known to the antients 

 by the addition of the fortunate. The happy tem- 

 perament of the air, the fpontaneous productions 

 of the ground in the varieties of fruits ; the 

 fprightly and chearful difpofition of the inhabi- 

 tantsf ; and the harmony arifing from the num- 

 ber of the birds found there J, procured them that 

 romantic diftindlion. Though the antients celebrate 

 the ifle of Canaria for the multitude of birds, they 

 have not mentioned any in particular. It is pro- 



* U'il. crn. 262. Rail fy 71. a-u. 91. Fide SQvin. des Cana- 

 ries. Brijfon anj.lll. i^^Ar- Fringilla Canaria. Lin. Jyji. '^zi, 



f Fortunatse infulfe abundatit fua fponte genitis, et fubinde 

 aliis fuper aliis innafcentibus nihil folicitos alunt ; beatius qiiam 

 alia urbes exculta. Mela de Jit, orb. III. 17. He then relates 

 the vaft flow of mirth among this happy people, by a figura- 

 tive fort of expreffion, that alludes to their t mpering difcre- 

 tion with their jollity, and never fuffering it to exceed the 

 bounds of prudence. This he delivers under the notion of 

 two fountains found among them, alterum qui gujla-vere ri/u 

 folijuntur in mortem ; it a a^'edis remedium eji ex altera bibere. 



X nines copia pcmorumy et a'vium cmnes generis abundajit, 

 kc, Plin. lib. VI. C. 32. 



A a 2 bable 



