CANARY-BIRD 71 



Serimis canarius of modern A^Titers, which has long been the com- 

 monest of cage-birds throughout the world. It abounds not only in 

 the islands whence it has its name, but in the neighbouring groups 

 of the Madeiras and Azores. It seems to have been imported into 

 Europe very early in the sixteenth century. Turner in 1-544 

 speaks of the birds " quas Anglia aues canai'ias uocat " ; a statement 

 confirmed by the poet Gascoigne, who died in 1577, and speaks 

 {Complaint of Philomene, 1. 33) of " Canara byrds." Gesner had 

 not seen one in 155.5, but he gave an account of it {Ornitliol. 

 p. 234), communicated to him by Raphael Seller of Augsburg, under 

 the name of Suckeruogele. The wild stock is of an olive-green, 

 mottled with dark brown, above, and greenish - yellow beneath. 

 All the bright-hued examples we noAv see in captivity have been 

 induced by carefully breeding from any chance varieties that have 

 shewn themselves ; and not only the colour, but the build and 

 stature of the bird have in this manner been greatly modified. The 

 change must have begun early, for Hernandez, who died in 1587, 

 described the bird (Hist. Anim. Nov. Hkp. cap. xxviii. p. 20) as 

 being wholly yelloAV (tota lutea) except the end of its ■\\dngs.^ Of 

 late the ingenuity of " the fancy," which might seem to have 

 exhausted itself in the production of topknots, feathered feet, and 

 so forth, has brought about a still further change from the original 

 type. It has been foiind that by a particular treatment, in which 

 the mixing of large quantities of cayenne-pepper with the food 

 plays an important j)art, the ordinary " canary yellow " may be 

 intensified so as to verge upon a more or less brilliant flame colour. 

 Birds which have successfully undergone this forcing process, and are 

 hence called " hot canaries," command a very high price, for a large 

 proportion die under the discipline, though it is said that they 

 soon become exceedingly fond of the exciting condiment. But it is 

 impossible here to treat of this species in its domesticated state. 

 A small library of books has been written on the subject.- 



Very nearly resembling the Canary-bird, but smaller in size, is 

 the Serin, Serinus hortulanus, a species which not long since was 

 veiy local in Europe, and chiefly known to inhabit the cou]itries 

 bordering on the Mediterranean. It has of late years pushed its 

 way toAvards the north, and has even been several times taken in 

 England (Yarrell's Brit. Birds, ed. 4, ii. pp. 111-116). A closely 

 allied species, S. canonicus, is peculiar to Palestine. 



In many difl'erent parts of the Avorld the word "Canary "is 



^ This book was not published till 16-31, and of course there is a possibility of 

 the passage being an interpolation, but I know no reason to suspect it. 



- Those most to be commended are perhaps The Canary Book by Robert L. 

 Wallace, Canaries and Caijc Birds by W. A. Blackston, and of course Darwin's 

 Animals and Plants under DomesticafAon (i. p. 295). An excellent monogi-aph 

 of the wild bird is that by Dr. Carl Bolle {Journ. fiir Orn. 185S, pp. 12.'.-151). 



