Any other Variety of Canary. 355 



the same song or set of notes. It is customary to keep them in 

 total darkness during the early hours of tuition, and sometimes 

 it is found advisable to have recourse to hunger to make them 

 attentive and subservient. Great patience and perseverance 

 are needed to make them anything like proficient scholars in this 

 branch of education, and so powerful are their natural instincts 

 that instances are on record where some of the best taught and 

 most masterly songsters have been completely spoilt by being 

 hung in close proximity for a few months to a bird that was an 

 ardent exponent of his own natural lays. It must not be for- 

 gotten by those who delight in keeping canaries that have learnt 

 the song of other birds, or to imitate the notes of any musical 

 instrument, that they cease singing during the season for moult- 

 ing, and at that time they are very apt to reject their artificial 

 notes for the natural melody of their race ; therefore it will be 

 most prudent to remove them during this period beyond the 

 sound and hearing of any other bird of their kind. 



The most notable breeders of these birds are the Messrs. 

 Trute Bros., of St. Andreasberg, in the neighbourhood of the 

 Hartz Mountains, and birds bred and reared by these men 

 bring higher prices than those of other breeders. In order to 

 procure the best songsters, the most reliable strain must be 

 used, for the voice and powers of vocalization, even in canaries, 

 appear to be hereditary. These birds are not at all difficult to 

 breed, being of the very commonest type of the canary 

 family. They may be bred in pairs in cages, or one male 

 may be mated with two females if thought desirable. If, 

 however, aviary breeding is preferred, one male may be 

 placed with four females, only they will need to be carefully 

 looked after, as sometimes hens prove mischievous, and interfere 

 with each other's nests, &c. In all such cases the delinquents 

 should be removed, and placed in cages. 



The method adopted by the St. Andreasberg fanciers 

 in feeding and treating their birds will be found useful to 

 those fanciers who have a predilection for the trained 

 German songsters, or Hartz Mountain Boilers, as they are 

 usually styled. It is as follows : During the breeding season, 



2 A 2 



