540 



CAiNARIES, HYBRIDS, AND BRITISH BIRDS 



attention to selecting birds with ifootl voice, 

 perfect song, and robust hcaltli. Wliile 

 breeding they are fed pretty much as other 

 Canaries, with egg food, green food, seed, 

 etc., except that they have a more abundant 

 sup])Iy of German rape seed, which is one 

 of the staple foods of this variety at all 

 times. The yoimg birds too. when they 

 leave the parents, are fed in nuicli the same 

 way as other young Canaries, with egg food 

 and seed, gradually weaning them on to the 

 German rape as a staple food at the age of 

 about six weeks : egg food and other seeds 

 can be given in small quantities as tit-l)its. 



By way of variation in diet a few s])lit 

 groats may be given or a pinch of maw- 

 seed ; but at all times, except dining the 

 breeding season, let good mellow German 

 rape, with a little Canary seed, form the 

 staple diet, the other being given at intervals 

 in small quantities. 



We now come to the most im])(irtant 



jieriod of the Roller's life when, rcmoveil 



from its parents, it has to 



Training the ^..^j^^, j^^ singing lessons, and 

 Songsters. . i:^ f^ 



its future as a great vocalist 



or the reverse is decided. Few people, 



except those who have some knowledge of 



their breeding and teaching, have any idea 



of the amount of education a trained Roller 



Canary has gone through before its song 



is perfected. We are now speaking of a 



properly trained bird, not a young bird 



which has been under the tuition of a 



" schoolmaster " for a few weeks, and then 



drafted off under the name '" Roller." As 



soon as the young birds arc al)le to leave 



tiic ])ar(nts and do lor thcnischcs. they ai'c 



t r;inslcried to another room and turned 



into flights in grf)U])s. The breeder at the 



same time jilnccs one or two of his most 



])ro(icient adult songsters in the room. 



These schoolmasters may have been allowed 



to |>ut one or two hens to nest, but beyond 



this they have not been ]>erinittcd to exert 



their strength at ;dl, so that they are in 



splendid eonditinn jiiul full song with clear 



and distinct notes, yet soft and sweet. 



These birds repeat their various tours. 



llollow-roll, Ilollow-Ilute, .\rched-roll. J?ass- 



roll, Water -roll. .Scoller - roll, JJcil - roll. 



Sehoekel. etc.. etc.. day after day. week 

 after week, and thus the young birds are 

 kept isolated imdcr this tuition until they 

 have completed their moult, and are them- 

 selves in full song. The breeder, however, 

 does not trust solely to these " school- 

 masters," though they are his " right-hand 

 men " and exercise marked influence over 

 the voungsters' song, but also devotis liis 

 leisure to jilaying to them with various bird 

 flutes, and also utilises mechanical organs 

 which play a certain number of tours. 



When the moidt is complete the young 

 cocks are each given a sejiarate cage, and 

 are placed in a darkened position, which 

 keeps them (juiet, and thus they sing in a 

 steady, .subdued and well-regidated voice. 

 Of course any birds that utter favUty notes 

 are removed as soon as detected, so that 

 they shall not contaminate the others. The 

 ]wrtial darkening of the cages is done to 

 prevent the birds exhausting themselves 

 luuler the excitement of their song, and 

 full light is admitted two or three times a 

 day. By November or December the young 

 scholars will, if in fidl song, have completed 

 their training. 



The aim of the breeder is to turn out 

 birds that will sing softly from fifteen to 

 twenty or twenty-five good tours without 

 an offensive note, and the percentage of 

 such specimens is not large even in Germany. 

 However, English l)reeders are making good 

 headway. 



A bird when ready for contest singing is 

 in good condition and full song. l)ut nuist 

 not be in too high or brcetling condition, or 

 he is apt to race too quickly over his .song 

 and so spoil his chance of success. The 

 cages in which Rollers ai'c sent to singing 

 contests ari' all wood, with a wire Iroiit and 

 two wootlcn shutters in front of this which 

 can be opened or closed at will. These are 

 called " Song-Boxes" (sec p. 338), and arc 

 about nine inches square. Some are made 

 separately with a wire cage to fit inside. 

 Our earlier clmpters hohl good as regards 

 the management of the Roller, which, as 

 the sweetest songster of them all, may fitly 

 ring down the curtain on the Canary section 

 of this work. 



