BIRD NEWS 



THE CANARY 



l»RACTICAL, NOTES ON GENERAL 

 * MANAGEMENT AND 

 BREEDING. 



There is perhaps no bird so uni- 

 versally adopted as a home pet as 

 the canary. Few indeed, even though 

 the passing years have tinged the 

 hair with white, and the furrows of 

 time have grooved the forehead, but 

 can recall some period in their his- 

 tory when the little yellow bird was 

 a factor for their pleasure and their 

 interest. Very nearly half a million 

 canaries are imported annually, and 

 distributed throughout our "own 

 United States." It is not at all like- 

 ly that each owner of a canary is 

 either a fancier or an expert. An 

 admirer . of birds is not necessarily 

 the best friend of a bird, for in bird 

 life, like all other kinds of experi- 

 ence, evil is as often due to lack of 

 thought as it is to ignorance or in- 

 difference. The purpose of this se- 

 fies of articles upon the canary is to 

 help the beginner, and perhaps in- 

 directly aid even in a slight degree 

 the mature birdman who "knows it 

 all." 



An old ornithologist, Gesner, who 

 wrote, in the year 15 85, refers to the 

 canary as being a common house 

 bird. Wlia,t variety or type it was 

 we cannot at present determine. 



The legend that Italy was the 

 birthplace of the canary seems more 

 or less generally accepted. The Ca- 

 nary islands, it is said, became pop- 

 ulated by these birds through the 

 foundering of a ship bound for Leg- 

 horn; a number of birds were on 

 board, and on being liberated they 

 made their way to the islands where, 

 finding the climate and conditions fa- 

 vorable, they became acclimatized. 

 Wild canaries are still to be found in 

 many of the islands of the Atlantic 

 ocean, and on the mainland of South 



Africa. Indeed few countries but 

 claim a wild canary. The mere fact 

 of being a small bird, finch-like in 

 type, somewhat yellow in plumage, 

 seems all that is necessary to obtain, 

 locally at least, the title "wild ca- 

 nary." 



The original wild canary, the ac- 

 cepted prototype, is not yellow, but 

 green, rather squat in form, and not 

 by any means a show bird; posses- 

 sing, however, a soft and melodious 

 song, having much of the tone so- 

 desired in the moderh "roller." It is 

 well known that the pigeon fancier 

 can breed almost to a feather any 

 type or variation he desires. The 

 canary fancier claims, and justifi- 

 ably so, that he can with his birds do 

 likewise. The varieties of canaries 

 are numerous, well defined, with 

 fully established and accepted points 

 which demand expert knowledge to 

 appreciate and value. 



Great Britain and Europe may be 

 considered as the great centers for 

 fancy canaries. America has not yet. 

 to any considerable extent, taken up 

 the fancy, so that to the great major- 

 ity of our people, the show canary 

 is a rara avis. Many causes are re- 

 sponsible for this, and amongst these 

 none more so than the lack of small 

 homes — the little house, which to 

 s tenant was a castle, where he was 

 free to exercise the best of his de- 

 sires and possess his pets, none dar- 

 ing to make him afraid. Further, 

 the tenement house, the "no chil- 

 dren" landlord, or the boarding mis- 

 tress with the exacting "not allowed" 

 have proved domestic evils in the 

 path of the bird fancier. Time, im- 

 proved social conditions and general 

 education will soon give to the Amer- 

 ican fancier opportunity to raise 

 birds, and ere long he will be a suc- 

 cessful rival of his old world brother. 

 The Avi^ultural society desires to aid 

 the bird lover of America and, solicit- 

 ing his co-operation, promises better 



