THE ROLLER CANARY 67 
for birds vary in other matters as do their owners. Some 
Canaries are more intelligent than others, they vary in 
temperament and are consequently different in disposi- 
tion. You have the vigorous bird who sings in a 
different style to his weak-chested neighbour. Strains 
of different delivery help to swell the problems of mis- 
understanding. Is it any wonder then that there are 
so many people who are not well versed in the tours 
of that wonderful bird the Roller Canary? 
It is our desire that the information given in “‘ The 
Roller Canary ” should increase the knowledge regarding 
the song of our birds, so that every lover of Rollers 
should understand the subject thoroughly. The cult of 
the Roller is not old in England, we have taken it from 
the Germans, therefore, the language used in describing 
the song naturally follows that which has been associated 
with the bird for hundreds of years on the Continent. 
In the present-day songs we have the high, the 
medium, and the deep passages, called Tours. In the 
higher tours the music is inferior to the medium, in 
the deeper tours it is best, so far as purity of tone is 
concerned. For this reason the widest range of varia- 
tions is to be found in the deep tours and the narrowest 
in the high. Also, for the same reason, the middle or 
medium and the deeper tours are much more valuable 
than the high ones. 
We may therefore classify the melody into three 
divisions, as follows :— 
Piigher pitched”, Fours. .is..:3...+... Fair 
Medium or middle Tours......... Good 
BEI DOMES: 5 ce incieecveas ve Very good 
E* 
