SINGING. 41 



cage ; or sooner than twelve days if you per- 

 ceive an attempt to record his natural song. 

 Let his cage be covered Vv^ith a thin Imen 

 cloth for eight days, and placed in a room 

 away from all the other birds, so that he 

 may hear no singing. Then take the flageo- 

 let or bird organ, which must not be too harsh 

 or shrill, as the bird will not fail to follow in 

 the same key ; which if too shrill will cause so 

 great an exertion of his lungs, that most pro- 

 bably, (if he be a good and mettlesome bird,) 

 he will strain himself to such a degree as to 

 occasion his death. 



At the expiration of fifteen days, you must 

 change the thin linen cloth which covers him, 

 for a thick green, or red serge ; and he must 

 remain covered in this way until he is perfect 

 in the air you wish him to learn. 



As to the number of airs, it is better, in our 

 opinion, to have him learn a single good one, 

 than to teach him two or three, as he is apt to 

 mix and confound them. There are some 

 canaries, indeed, that learn much quicker than 

 others ; some will be perfect in two months, 

 while others are six ; but a fair degree of 

 patience is necessary to the master to enable 

 him to accomplish so desirable an end ; with- 

 out it nothing is to be done, and with it he 

 may render his bird exceedingly valuable. 



The organ ought to be very mellow and 

 sweet in its tones ; for if harsh, it will have 

 a very bad effect, the bird, as before ob- 

 served, copying with great exactness, even 

 your instrument's faults. 

 4* 



