704 



CARDUELIS. 



Long's expedition ; and Say, who wrote the zoolo- 

 gical notes to the Journal, observes, " A very pretty 

 little bird was frequently seen hopping about in the 

 low trees or bushes, singing sweetly, somewhat in the 

 manner of the American goldfinch. The tints and 

 the distribution of the colours of its plumage resemble, 

 in a considerable degree, those of the autumnal and 

 less brilliant vesture of that well known species. It 

 may, however, be distinguished, in addition to other 

 differences, by the black tips of its tail-feathers, and 

 the white wing spot." The Arkansan siskin inhabits 

 the country near the base of the Rocky Mountains, 

 south of the river Platte ; and may probably be also 

 found in Mexico. It is suspected that the Mexican 

 siskin (Fringilla Mexicana) of Gmelin, and also the 

 Black Mexican siskin (F. Catotol) of the same author, 

 are referable to the species in different states of its 

 plumage. 



Many of the smaller finches, but more especially 

 the group to which all the little birds we have been 

 just describing appertain, have long been celebrated 

 for their docility, and, consequently, they are great 

 favourites with bird-fanciers, by whom they are often 

 doomed to undergo a severe, tedious, and cruel 

 discipline. The feats they have been gradually 

 trained to perform are almost incredible. Mr. Syme, 

 in his " History of British Song-Birds," when speaking 

 of the Sieur Roman, who some years ago exhibited a 

 number of canaries, goldfinches, and linnets, wonder- 

 fully trained, relates, that " one appeared dead, and 

 was held up by the tail or claw without exhibiting 

 any signs of life ; a second stood on its head with its 

 claws in the air ; a third imitated a Dutch milkmaid 

 going to market, with pails on its shoulders ; a fourth 

 mimicked a Venetian girl looking out at a window ; 

 a fifth appeared as a soldier, and mounted guard as a 

 sentinel ; and the sixth acted as a cannoneer, with a 

 cap on its head, a firelock on its shoulder, and a 

 match in its claw, and discharged a small cannon. 

 The same bird also acted as if it had been wounded. 

 It was wheeled in a barrow, to convey it, as it were, 

 to the hospital ; after which it flew away before the 

 company. The seventh turned a kind of wind-mill ; 

 and the last bird stood in the midst of some fire-works, 

 which were discharged all around it, and this without 

 exhibiting the least symptom of fear." These astonish- 

 ing feats were repeatedly performed before hundreds 

 of persons ; and one is at a loss at which most to 

 wonder, that irrational beings should be capable of 

 being thus trained, or that beings who consider them- 

 selves rational should so patiently and cruelly waste 

 their existence in drilling these unfortunate little 

 creatures into submission. 



Some naturalists have included in Carduelis the 

 email finches which are commonly termed canary 

 birds. Of these there are four or five original species, 

 two of which have been multiplied in confinement 

 into a very great number of varieties. We prefer, 

 however, to arrange them as a separate sub-genus of 

 Fringilla, under the general designation of Canaria ; 

 but they may, nevertheless, be introduced here, as 

 they are physiologically very nearly allied to the 

 Carduelis. 



The general form of the canary is too well known 

 to require a very, particular description ; it is longer, 

 and not quite so compact as that of the goldfinch, and 

 the bill is much shorter, and more bulky. They are 

 somewhat intermediate between the goldfinches and 

 certain of the linnets (Linaria), but have several 



peculiar characters of their own, and they appear to 

 be more local in their distribution than either of 

 these. We know very little of them in a wild state, 

 as is the case with almost every animal which man 

 has long kept in a domestic condition. 



One species at least, which may be denominated the 

 C, communis, is very abundant in Madeira, where it was 

 observed by Dr. Heineken, who minutely describes it. 

 The bill is about four lines in length, with the upper 

 mandible dusky, the lower flesh-colour; legs brownish 

 flesh-colour ; the forehead, throat, line above and 

 below the eyes, the breast, rump, and lesser wing-co- 

 verts, greenish yellow ; the scapulars, and large wing- 

 coverts, deeply shaded with the same ; the back also 

 similarly, but lightly shaded ; abdomen rich golden 

 yellow ; remainder of the under parts whitish, marked 

 about the flanks with large longitudinal brown spots ; 

 the back of the head, cheeks, back, larger wing- 

 coverts, scapulars, and large tail-coverts, brown-ash, 

 with a longitudinal brown spot down each feather ; 

 indistinct and faint about the head ; large, dark, and 

 defined on the other parts ; the tertiaries, quill, and 

 tail-feathers, brownish-black, with pale ash-coloured 

 edges ; the external margin of the first four or five 

 quill-feathers white ; of the rest, pale greenish yellow ; 

 length, five inches and a quarter ; breadth, nine 

 inches ; weight, about half an ounce ; tail forked. 

 The colours and markings of the hen bird arc more 

 dingy and indistinct, and the rump is only greenish- 

 yellow. The young males are very similar to the 

 old female, but have the bill and legs darker ; and 

 the young females have no yellowish or greenish 

 colouring. 



" It builds," says Dr. Heineken, " in thick bushy 

 high shrubs and trees, with roots, moss, feathers, 

 hair, &c. ; pairs in February ; lays from four to six 

 pale blue eggs, and hatches five times (not un fre- 

 quently six) in the season. It is very familiar, 

 haunting and breeding in gardens about the city. It 

 is a delightful songster, with, beyond doubt, much of 

 the nightingale's and skylark's, but none of the wood- 

 lark's song, although three or four skylarks, in con- 

 finement in Funchal, are the only examples of any of 

 these birds in the island." These wild canaries 

 directly imported from the Canary Islands, may be 

 frequently obtained at some of the London shops, 

 but are sold at an enormously high price. 



We know very little of the other species of this 

 group ; there may possibly be another sort in the 

 Canary isles. Syme mentions one which he received 

 from St. Michael's, which, he says, sung very like the 

 linnet. There is also a very beautiful species in 

 Brazil, entirely yellow, with an orange-coloured 

 crown. This bird may sometimes be procured alive 

 at the London shops ; its chirp much resembles that 

 of the domestic species, but its song appears to be 

 very inferior. 



" The Canary bird," according to Bechstein, 

 " was brought into our climate as early as the six- 

 teenth century. Its arrival in Europe is thus de- 

 scribed : A vessel, which, besides its merchandise, 

 was bringing a number of these birds to Leghorn, 

 was shipwrecked on the coast of Italy, opposite the 

 island of Elba, where these little birds, having been 

 set at liberty, took refuge. The climate being favour- 

 able, they increased, and would certainly have become 

 naturalised, had not the wish to possess them oc- 

 casioned their being caught in such numbers, that at 

 last they were extirpated from their new country. 



