THE CANARY. 



157 



mottled, some beautifully shaded with green ; 

 but they are more esteemed for their note than 

 their beauty, having a high piercing pipe, as 

 indeed all those of the finch tribe have, con- 

 ing attached to the sounds. Dr Bechstein mentions the 

 Wine song, the Bridegroom's song, the Rider's song, 

 and several others, which are, no doubt, in a great mea- 

 sure, the result of the art employed in the education of 

 the bird, being perfect as pieces of music. That the 

 chaffinch should be able to execute such things, how- 

 ever, indicates the possession of very superior capabili- 

 ties. " Indeed," says Dr Bechstein, " the chaffinch has 

 so great a facility in learning, that it not only imitates 

 perfectly the song of another chaffinch near which it has 

 been placed from youth, but being hung near a nightin- 

 gale or canary, it learns several parts of their songs, and 

 would no doubt give them completely, if its larynx were 

 so formed that it could render notes so long and sus- 

 tained ; in fine, a great difference in memory is observed 

 in these birds, as well as in all others of the singing spe- 

 cies. Some require six months to learn an air that 

 others catch on first hearing, and can repeat almost im- 

 mediately ; these can scarcely retain one of the songs 

 given above; those can imitate three, four, and, should 

 you wish it, five different ones. There are also some 

 that cannot give one song without a fault, and we find 

 others that will add to it, perfect it and embellish it. 

 One thing peculiar to chaffinches, is the necessity of 

 teaching them their song every year, and this in the 

 manner proper for them, during the four or five weeks 

 this exercise lasts. They first utter a murmur, or weak 

 warbling, J.o which they add, at first in an under voice, 

 one or two, and afterwards several syllables of their song ; 

 they are then said to record. A chaffinch that takes 

 only a week or a fortnight to repeat this lesson for fully 

 bringing out its vojce, is reckoned among the geniuses 

 of its species. It is known that other birds whose 

 power of singing is confined to a particular season, also 

 warble feebly, and mingle with their warbling some 

 foreign notes, especially harsh and confused sounds ; but 

 none produce sounds so peculiar, and that have so little 

 relation to their own song. If we pay a little attention, 

 however, we shall find that this exercise is intended less 

 to awaken the memory than to render the throat, stif- 

 fened by a tolerable long state of inaction, more pliant, 

 and to bring. back its natural flexibility." 



The Goldfinch is one of the best known, and most 





beautiful of our native birds. The seed of the thistle is 

 its favourite food, hence its French name (Chardonncrct] 

 is derived. It is also sometimes called, in our language, 

 the Thistle. finch. The fowlers, accordingly, who lay 

 various snares for these birds, make use of thistle-seed 

 as their bait. Though the goldfinches do not construct 

 their nests until the middle of spring, they have yet 

 three broods, the last of which takes place in August. 

 The young cannot suffice for themselves for some time, 

 even after quitting the nest ; accordingly there is much 

 patience requisite to rear them artificially. The best 

 are said to be those which are born in thorny bushes and 



tinuing for some time in one breath without 

 intermission, then raising it higher and higher 

 by degrees, with great variety. 



It is this that has rendered the canary bird, 



belong to the last brood. They are, it is said, more 

 gay, and sing better than the others. The goldfinch is 

 very easily reconciled to captivity, arid even becomes* 

 quite familiar. From its activity and docility it may 

 be taught a wonderful degree of precision in its move- 

 ments; it will counterfeit death, and perform a great 



ariety of other movements with the greatest dexterity; 

 it can be taught to fire a cracker, and draw up small 

 cups, containing its food and drink. Some years ago, 

 the Sieur Roman exhibited in this country the wonder- 

 ful performances of his birds. These were goldfinches, 

 linnets, and canary birds. 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 her shoulders. A fourth mimicked 

 a Venetian girl, looking out at a window. A fifth ap- 

 peared as a soldier, and mounted guard as a centinel. 

 The sixth was a cannon'er, with a cap on its head, a 

 firelock on its shoulder, and a firelock in its claw, and 

 discharged a small cannon. The same bird also acted 

 as if it had been wounded ; it was wheeled in a little 

 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 sign of 

 fear. The goldfinch, naturally active and laborious, is 

 fond of occupation in its prison, and if it has not some 

 poppy-heads, hemp-stalks, and those of lettuce, to peck, 

 for the purpose of keeping it in action, it will remove 

 every thing that it finds. A single goldfinch, in an 

 aviary where canaries are hatching, if he be without a 

 female, is sufficient to make all the broods fail ; he will 

 fight with the males, disturb the females, destroy the nests, 

 and break the eggs. These birds, however, though so 

 lively and petulant, live in peace with each other, ex- 

 cepting a few quarrels about the perch and their food ; all 

 of them try to get possession of the highest perch in the 

 aviary, for the purpose of sleeping, and the first who ob- 

 tains it will not suffer the others to approach. It is neces- 

 sary to place all the perches at a similar height, to isolate 

 each from the other, and make every one only of length 

 sufficient for a single bird. The mules from the goldfinch 

 and canary are more robust than the latter, and live longer. 

 Their song is also more brilliant ; but Buffon says, that 

 they imitate airs with difficulty. Others, on the contrary, 

 pretend that they can very easily be taught by the bird- 

 organ arid flageolet. These mules resemble the male in 

 the form of the bill, and the colours of the head and 

 wings, and the female in the rest of the body. Some 

 beautiful varieties result from this alliance. In autumn 

 the goldfinches assemble together, live, during winter, 

 in numerous flocks, and frequent those places where 

 thistles and wild endive grow. During the severe cold, 

 they shelter themselves in thick bushes; but they sel- 

 dom recede far from the place where their food is found. 

 Sometimes they mingle with other granivorous birds. 

 Hempseed is the grain given to familiarize them with 

 the cage ; but it would be better to mingle millet and 

 rape-seed with it, and to vary their aliment ; thus the 

 maladies might be avoided which attack them in cap- 

 tivity. The species of the goldfinch is extended 

 throughout the whole of Europe nearly, and through 

 some parts of Asia and Africa. Few species present 

 more varieties than this; besides those which proceed 

 from forced alliances, there are others attributable to 

 aliment, to age, and to domestication. There is one 



which is white where the others are red, namely, on the 



