CANARY BIRDS. 217 



infirm, that the people to whom it belonged were obliged to 

 scrape its beak and claws, that it might eat, drink, and sit upon 

 its perch. It had subsisted upon poppy-seeds chiefly, and had 

 lost its power of flying, and all its feathers had become white, 

 which is contrary to what has been usually observed in aged small 

 birds, whose plumage at times assumes a darker shade, parti- 

 cularly if fed much upon hemp-seed. Thus, there are instances 

 of Goldfinches, Bullfinches, and Larks becoming almost entirely 

 black. 



So nearly allied are Canaries to Goldfinches, that they will 

 breed together, and the produce is a very pretty bird (called a 

 Mule), with a strong clear voice, which, in addition to its 

 scarcity, causes it to be much valued, and commands a high 

 price. And yet, nearly connected as they are, the Canary is 

 entirely of foreign origin, being a native of the Canaries (from 

 whence they took their name), a cluster of islands in the At- 

 lantic Ocean, near the coast of Africa. They are very indiffer- 

 ent fliers, which may account for their never having migrated 

 like other birds, and being thus occasionally found in their 

 wild state in other countries. They accordingly for a long 

 time remained unknown in Europe ; indeed, it was not till the 

 enterprising reign of Queen Elizabeth, about three hundred 

 years ago, when so many of our now common fruits and vege- 

 tables, such as nectarines, potatoes, &c.. and even poultry, such 

 as Turkeys, &c. , first found their way into England, that Cana- 

 ries were introduced ; and they were then for a time so prized 

 and scarce, that none but the most wealthy could purchase 

 them. But the desire of having them seems rapidly to have 

 spread, for not long after, the Spaniards found them so pro- 

 fitable a trade, that an order was issued for either destroying 

 all the hens that were taken, or setting them at liberty, that 

 the breed might be confined to the islands. The trade in 

 Canary birds is now much greater than it was then, though 

 entirely removed from the original spot. They are reared in 

 Germany and other parts of Europe, by people who bring then? 

 over to this country in great numbers every spring. 



About seventy years ago a very industrious people, the Tyrolese, 

 were the chief providers. They brought over every year nearly 



