148 



these two measurements there is a considerable dis- 

 crepancy, but this can be accounted for, firstly by the 

 fact that there are constant variations in all wild 

 species, and secondly by the probability (from his 

 wording) that Swainson's was a live bird, while 

 Sharpe's were probably only skins. My own measure- 

 ments of living specimens so far accord more nearly 

 with Swainson's, 



To revert to the question of colour ; one would 

 not be surprised, judging alike from the analogy pre- 

 sented by other birds and from the marked differences, 

 ranging from mealy buff to deepest yellow, observed 

 in the modern artificial evolution of the Canary, to 

 find that in the wild bird there is more than one shade 

 or depth of yellow. On this subject we may refer to 

 an interesting letter from the pen of Mr, F. S.Weinberg 

 which appeared in the Feathered World sometime about 

 i8g8, and which I can do no better than quote from 

 direct. He says: — "when I was at Puerto Orotava in 

 "Teneriffe about ten years ago, I came across a man 

 " who, in addition to his trade as dealer in curios, kept 

 " a large stock of the native Wild Canary, and among 

 " those I saw with him, about 80 to 100 birds, the 

 "jonque form was not uncommon, and among six 

 " pairs which I brought home at the time, there were 

 " three or four jonques. The birds unfortunately died 

 "without issue, probably from faulty management, as 

 " in the islands the}' breed very freely in confinement, 

 " both among themselves and with the domesticated 

 " Canary as we know it." 



In the AvicicUural Magazine (Vol. I., New Series) 

 the Rev. H. D. Astley contributes some interesting 

 notes on this bird. During a visit paid by him to the 

 Canary Islands in 1901 he found it to be a common 

 cage bird in Santa Cruz, and a still commoner bird at 

 large. He says: — "At first sight a flock of these 

 ^' birds might be mistaken for a flock of L,innets when 



