THE CANARY. 



159 



the natural history of the bird, I will take 

 leave to transcribe. 



In choosing the canary bird, those are best 

 that appear with life and boldness, standing 

 upright upon the perch like a sparrow-hawk, 

 and not apt to be frighted at every thing that 

 stirs. If its eyes look cheerful, and not drowsy, 

 it is a sign of health ; but, on the contrary, if 

 it hides its head under the wing, and gathers 

 its body up, these are symptoms of its being 

 out of order. In choosing them, the melody 

 of the song should also be minded ; some will 



choice; but they appear, especially in captivity, to be 

 greater consumers of it than they really are, from a 

 habit which they have got of breaking more grains than 

 they eat. In their passage in Germany, in October, 

 they considerably damage the hop-grounds, by eating 

 the seeds. In France, also, they do considerable pre- 

 judice to the apple-trees, by picking at the flowers. The 

 song of the siskin is by no means disagreeable, but very 

 inferior to that of the goldfinch: it is said to possess the 

 faculty of imitating the song of the canary, linnet, &c. 

 if taken very young, and placed within hearing of these 

 birds, it has, moreover, a note of appeal peculiar to it- 

 self. Even when taken adult, it is easily tamed, and 

 becomes almost as mild as a canary. 



The Citril Finch is found in all Italy, Greece, Tur- 

 key, Austria, Provence, Languedoc, Spain, Portugal, 

 and sometimes in Lorraine. The male has an agree- 

 able and varied song, but not so fine and clear as that of 

 the canary. In Italy this species makes its nest not 

 only in the country, but oftentimes in gardens on tufted 

 trees, particularly on the cypress, and constructs it of 

 wool, horse hair, and feathers. The eggs are four or 

 five: the male easily pairs with the female canary, and 

 the mules have been found productive. The Count de 

 Riocourt had for many years several of these mules, 

 which coupled with female canaries, and the young pro- 

 duced new generations. The siskin, the goldfinch, and 

 the linnet, are those respecting which the production of 

 the female with the male canary is best authenticated. 

 If mules are desired from these birds, they must be 

 taken on the nest, brought up by hand with the canaries, 

 fed on the same aliment, and kept in the same aviary. 

 The goldfinch, for example, which is generally chosen 

 in preference, should be kept from hempseed, and ac- 

 customed, as soon as he is able to eat alone, to millet 

 and rape-seed, the ordinary food of the canaries. With- 

 out this, a risk is run of losing one or the other, in chang- 

 ing their diet. If hempseed be suddenly taken from a 

 goldfinch accustomed to it, to give him the ordinary food 

 of canaries, the change will make him ill, and may 

 cause his death. If, on the contrary, you leave him the 

 hempseed, the female canary will eat so much of it, that 

 she will get a fever, and probably die. What is said ot 

 the goldfinch is applicable to all other birds destined for 

 the same purpose. It is also recommended, in the case 

 of the goldfinch, to cut the extremity of his bill dexter- 

 ously, for about the thickness of a halfpenny, or not 

 quite so much. If some drops of blood should follow, 

 there is no occasion for apprehension. It may be 

 stanched with a little saliva, mixed with pulverized 

 sugar. This operation, however, should only be per- 

 formed on those goldfinches whose bill is very pointed, 

 which often happens in captivity. This is absolutely 

 necessary, because this bird, pursuing the female, may 

 wound her with his sharp bill, and prick the little ones 

 in disgorging to them their food, whi-h will destroy 

 them. This inconvenience never takes place with gold- 

 finches at liberty, for their bills are never so pointed, as 

 the bills of the caged birds. If a female goldfinch is 

 paired with a mate canary, he should be two years old, 



open with the notes of the nightingale, and, 

 running through a variety of modulation, end 

 like the tit-lark. Others will begin like the 

 sky-lark, and, by a soft melodious turn, fall 

 into the notes of the nightingale. These are 

 lessons taught this bird in its domestic state, 

 and generally taught it by others ; but its 

 native note is loud, shrill, piercing, and enough 

 to deafen the hearers. There are persons who 

 admire each of these songs, but the second is 

 in the most general estimation. 



Canary birds sometimes breed all the year 



for it is seldom that she lays in the first year. These 

 birds, naturally wild, should be rendered as tame and 

 familiar as the canaries, which may be accomplished by 

 putting them in a low place, where there is plenty of 

 company. It must not be imagined that all the mules 

 which result from this alliance will be handsome. Of 

 some, the plumage is of a very common kind, and the 

 song very inferior. It would be useless to give any de- 

 scription of them, for they vary, ad injinitum, and no 

 description would suit any but the individual described. 

 It is sufficient to say, that it is constantly observed that 

 the mules resulting from these mixtures resemble the 

 father in the head, tail, and limbs, and the mother in 

 the rest of the body; and that the mules which come 

 from the male linnet and female canary, have neither 

 the white colour of the mother, nor the red of the lather, 

 as some have pretended. The union of canaries with 

 siskins, whether males or females, requires less atten- 

 tion. It is enough to let loose one or many of these 

 birds, but always of the same sex, in a chamber, or large 

 aviary, with canaries, and they will soon be seen to 

 couple. We have said, of the same sex, because when 

 the sexes are different the birds will naturally prefer 

 their own species. The goldfinch, on the contrary, will 

 only pair with the canary in a cage; to the linnet, green- 

 finch, and bullfinch, the cage and the aviary are indif- 

 ferent. The commonest mules are produced from the 

 linnet, the greenfinch, and the siskin, and the most 

 esteemed of these, for song and beauty, are those from 

 the male canary and a strange female. The mules from 

 the greenfinch are in general of a bluish colour, and the 

 males sing very badly, especially if the father be a green- 

 finch. Tne male mules from a linnet sing much better, 

 but their plumage is very ordinary. Those of the siskin 

 are small, and sing badly. Those from the bullfinch are 

 susceptible of a perfect education, and their plumage is 

 singular; but this alliance rarely thrives. The male 

 feeds, it is true, like the canary, and pays much atten- 

 tion to the female. But she dislikes and flies from him. 

 His cry, and the opening of his wide bill, frightens her. 

 It is necessary to choose a vigorous female or male, 

 which has been brought up with bullfinches, and has 

 never coupled with a bird of its own species. 



The Mountain-finch or Brambling is a native of 

 northern climates, where it spreads into various parts of 

 Europe: it arrives in this country in the latter end of 

 summer, and is the most common in the mountainous 

 parts of our island. Vast flocks of them sometimes come 

 together ; they fly very close, and on that account great 

 numbers of them are frequently killed at one shot. The 

 length of this bird is somewhat above six inches. Bill 

 yellow at the tip ; eyes hazel ; the feathers on the head, 

 neck, and back, are black, edged with rusty brown ; 

 sides of the neck, just above the wings, blue ash ; rump 

 white ; the throat, fore-part of the neck, and breast, are 

 of a pale orange ; belly white ; lesser wing-coverts black, 

 tipped with pale yellow; quills dusky, with pale yellow- 

 ish edges; the tail is forked, the outermost feathers 

 edged with white, the rest black, with whitish edges; 

 legs pale brown. 



