Finches. 121 



suffer at all from the cold. On sunny days the window 

 may be opened, if care be taken to prevent them from 

 being exposed to a cold wind or draughts, always most 

 injurious to birds. Canaries are sufficiently hardy to 

 live out of doors in warm parts of England : at Osborne 

 in the Isle of Wight, and in Mr. Wollaston's shrub- 

 berries at Welling in Kent, they have been, I believe, 

 naturalized for some years ; but birds born in the house 

 would, I think, suffer from cold, if no provision were 

 made for sheltering them during the frost and snow of 

 winter. This I believe Mr. Wollaston supplied them 

 with, keeping a cage in a greenhouse, with an opening 

 of the same kind as the entrance to a bee-hive, but 

 larger, for the birds to resort to in case of inclement 

 weather. It is well, of course, to make Canaries hardy, 

 and they will live in an outdoor aviary if care be taken 

 to protect them from cold during the winter nights ; 

 but I have been told that they rarely sing as constantly 

 as the birds in the house, and on cold sunless days will 

 often look moped and ruffled, and appear to feel the 

 cold intensely. They are generally much less tame 

 than the house birds, too, and therefore no object seems 

 to be gained by placing them out of doors, unless they 

 are allowed to range the garden and shrubbery at plea- 

 sure, and means are taken to protect them from all 

 invading foes, so that they may be able to build and 

 rear their young in safety. My birds, having never 

 known liberty, are perfectly happy in their large winter 



