3.48 CANARY BIRD. Class 11. 



bable then, that our fpecies was not introduced 

 into Europe till after the fecond difcovery of thefe 

 ifles, which was between the thirteenth and four- 

 teenth centuries. We are uncertain when it firft 

 made its appearance in this quarter of the globe. 

 Belon^ who wrote in 1555, is filent in refpe6t to 

 thefc birds: Gefner'^ is the firft who mentions them ; 

 and A(drovand-\ fpeaks of them as rarities; that 

 they were very dear on account of the difficulty at- 

 tending the bringing them from fa diftant a coun- 

 try, and that they were purchafed by people of 

 rank alone. Olina J fays, that in his time there 

 was a degenerate fort found on the ifle of Elba^ 

 off the coaft of Ttaly^ which came there originally 

 by means of a fliip bound from the Canaries to Leg- 

 horn., and was wrecked on that illand. We once 

 faw fome fmall birds brought diredly from the Ca- 

 nary Ijlands^ that we fufpedto be the genuine fort; 

 they were of a dull green color, but as they did 

 not fing, we fuppofed them to be hens. Thefe 

 birds will produce with the goldfinch and linnet, 

 and the offspring is called a mule- bird, becaufe^ 

 like that animal, it proves barren, 



* Gefner a^u. 240r 

 f Jldr. a'v. II. 355. 

 X Olina need, 7. 



They 



