HISTORY OF THE CANARY 



27 



At this stage also, let me refer shortly 

 to another old book on song-birds that 

 agrees in every detail with 

 .. _ '" \. , .. my interpretation of Her- 

 vieux's list of varieties of the 

 Canary, and also adds some additional in- 

 formation. The title is : "A Natural 

 History of English Song-Birds and Such 

 of the Foreign as are usually Brought 

 Over, and Esteem'd for their Singing, etc." 

 By Mr. Eleazer Albin. London, 1759 

 (3rd Edit.). 



Albin's knowledge of the song-birds he 

 mentions, and their proper treatment in 

 confinement, is so complete and excellent 

 {e.g., his treatment of the Goldfinch with 

 regard to hemp-seed) that this little book 

 would be an up-to-date guide at the present 

 day. On this account I attach much im- 

 portance to his list of varieties of the 

 Canary given on page 86 : — 



1. " Bright lovely yellow, with jet-black 

 spots." This undoubtedly describes the 



London Fancy Canary, 

 Albin's List which, like the Lizard 

 of Varieties mc ^ .. j Hervieux), we 

 of Canary v 6 " 



in 1759. believe to be derived from 



the cinnamon, and which is 

 now almost extinct. 



2. " The mealy-bird, so named from 

 the mealy kind of colour which seems to 

 cover his feathers." This is the buff bird 

 of the present day. 



3. " Mottled birds : their chief colour is 

 white mottled with black or brownish 

 spots." These are our green-variegated 

 and cinnamon-variegated varieties. 



4. " All yellow." Our clear yellow. 



5. " All white." 



6. " Grey." This is the original grey, 

 the Serin Gris of Hervieux, which is closely 

 allied to the cinnamon Canary. 



7. Other varieties not named. 



" The Epitome of the Art of Husbandry." 

 London, 1675. By J. B., Gent. — At this 



date in England Canaries were 

 Blagrove's gj-ggn, and variegation had 



evidently not occurred, for 

 the author, Joseph Blagrove, who is par- 

 ticularly well informed with regard to 

 singing birds, says (p. 107) : " Many 



Country-People cannot distinguish a Canary 

 from one of our common Green Birds, etc."* 

 The above reference would seem to 

 indicate that, in spite of a probable early 

 importation of the Canary into England, 

 little progress had been made in its domes- 

 tication, and it also lends colour to the 

 legend that the initial varieties (including 

 even the London Fancy) were introduced 

 by immigrant Huguenots (c/. Hervieux's 

 list of varieties). 



COMPARATIVE EVOLUTION OF OTHER DOMESTI- 

 CATED SPECIES 



It will probably be found that in other 

 domesticated animals a similar line of 

 development has been fol- 

 The Evolu= lowed, and I have mentioned 

 tion of the ^^g ^j. ^^^^ points of simi- 

 Domestic '^ 



Fowl. larity in the domestic fowl. 



In it the Game varieties seem 

 to form a more or less direct line from 

 Galhis bankiva, while those which show 

 greatest diversity in type generally and 

 in plumage owe this variability to the 

 original Cochin, which in 1867 not only 

 included a definite cinnamon variety and 

 a white variety in its family, but also had 

 as its prevailing colour buff of various 

 shades — e.g., lemon Cochins, silver-buff 

 Cochins, etc. {vide Tegetmeier's " Poultry 

 Book," 1867). 



The Cochin shows the variability which 

 we have seen to occur in cinnamon 

 Canaries and hybrids. 



1. According to Tegetmeier (" Poultry 

 Book," 1867), this variety of fowl has the 

 defect of " twisted primary quill feathers " 

 much more frequently than any other. It 

 is probably because this " defect " was 

 made a disqualifying point in poultry 

 shows that the Frizzled Cochin has not 

 become an established variety. 



2. The Silk Cochin, or Emu Fowl, is 

 known. 



3. Grouse and Partridge Cochins repre- 

 sent the spangled varieties. 



4. " There is a tendency in Cochins to 

 produce an extraordinary number of cocks 

 in nearly every brood " (Tegetmeier). We 



* See another reference to "Tlie Epitome" on p. 12. 



