152 A HISTORY OF 



it hides its head under the wing, gathers its body up, these are symp 

 toras of its being out of order. In choosing them, the melody of the 

 song should also be minded : some will open with the notes of the 

 nightingale, and running through a variety of modulations, end like 

 the tit-lark. Others will begin like the sky-lark, and, by a soft melo- 

 dious 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 round ; but they most 

 usually begin to pair in April, and to breed in June and August. 

 Those are said to be the best breeders that are produced between the 

 English and the French. 



Towards the latter end of March, a cock and hen should be put 

 together in a small cage where they will peck at each other in the be- 

 ginning, but will soon become thoroughly reconciled. The room where 

 they are kept to breed, should be so situated as to let the birds have the 

 benefit of the morning sun, and the windows should be of wire, not glass, 

 that they may enjoy the benefit of the air. The floor of the room 

 should be kept clean, and sometimes there should be dry gravel or 

 sand sifted upon it. There should also be two windows, one at each 

 end, and several perches at proper distances for the birds to settle on, 

 as they fly backwards and forwards. A tree in the middle of the room 

 would be the most convenient to divert the birds, and sometimes to 

 serve for building their nests upon. 



In Germany they prepare a large room, and build it in the manner 

 of a barn, being much longer than broad, with a square place at each 

 end, and several holes to go into those square places. In those outlets 

 they plant several sorts of trees, in which the birds take great delight 

 to sing and breed. The bottom of the place they strew with sand, 

 and upon it cast rape-seed, chick-weed, and groundsel, which the old 

 birds feed upon while breeding. In the body of the house they put all 

 sorts of stuffs for building the nest, and brooms, one under the other, 

 in all the corners, for the birds to build in. These they separate by 

 partitions from each other, to prevent those above flying down upon, 

 or otherwise incommoding such as breed below. The light also is ex- 

 cluded, for no bird is fond of having light come to its nest. 



With us the aparatus for breeding is less expensive; a little breed- 

 ing cage sometimes suffices, but seldom any thing more extensive than 

 a small room. While the birds are pairing, it is usual to feed them 

 with soft meat; that is bread, maw-seed, a little scalded rape-seed, 

 and near a third part of an egg. The room should be furnished with 

 stuff for making their nests; Such as fine hay, wool, cotton, and hair. 

 These materials should be thoroughly dry, and then mixed and tied 

 together in such a manner that the birds may readily pull out what they 

 want. This should be hung in a proper part of the room, and the 

 male will take his turn in building the nest, silting upon the eggs, 

 and feeding the young. They are generally two or three days in 

 building their nests; the hen commonly lays five eggs; and in the 

 space of fourteen days the young will be excluded. So prolific 

 are these birds sometimes, that the female will be ready to hatch 



