THE CANARY. 1^7 



He ceases his song, however, earher in the day than any other bird ; and 

 amid the summer evening choirs, the note of the lark is missing. 



Sometimes the songster perches on the ground, or on a clod of earth, or 

 even crouches among the grass, and pours forth his lay ; but, as a rule, it is 

 otherwise. 



"Hark, hark, the lark at heaven's gate sings." 



Towards the winter the larks assemble in flocks, and keep pretty much 

 by themselves. When the weather is mild and open, they pick up what seeds 

 they can find in the stubble fields ; and they eat a great deal of sand and 

 gravel to assist their digestion. 



Their food at this time consists almost entirely of seeds ; and they keep 

 to the ground, and fly about in curves, gliding when on the ground in a 

 crouching kind of way. You may walk close up to a flock of larks, before 

 they will give themselves the trouble to rise. 



THE CANARY. 



If you saw the canary bird in its native country, you would scarcely know it. 

 Its home used to be some beautiful islands called the Canary Islands, and 

 there it wears a costume of dusky grey. 



But it is many years since canaries were brought into Europe, and their 

 original habits and home are almost forgotten. 



The birds that we see in cages come from Germany, where they are 

 reared in great numbers. At one time a large sum of money was asked for a 

 canary, and very few people could afford to have one. But now almost in 

 every house you see the petted canary. 



It belongs to the tribe of finches, and has a loud, rather piercing voice, 

 and is considered to be an excellent singer. It can continue its song for some 

 time, without pausing, as it were, to take breath, and it can open its song 

 with the notes of other birds, such as the nightingale and the sky-lark. But 

 in its native state its note is too harsh to be agreeable, and almost deafens 

 the hearers. 



In Germany a great room like a barn is prepared for the canaries, and 

 J 2 



