HOLDERS 

 CANARIES AND CAGE-BIRDS, 



CANARIES. 



THESE birds are now so widely known and universally kept, that any formal intro- 

 duction of them as a family is certainly unnecessary. There are, however, individual 

 members of this large family foreigners which are strangers to most of us ; and 

 these it will be our pleasure to so plainly present to you, that not only the name, 

 but general traits, of each may be understood. This article will treat, then, of 

 most of the varieties which have sprung from the original wild stock ; the diseases, 

 to which the birds are subject, and the treatment of the same ; the care and food ; 

 and the methods of breeding in the countries where the different classes exhibit the 

 best strains of blood. 



The Canary has been known as a household pet since the commencement of the 

 sixteenth century. His original colors were green and gray ; and he was an inhab- 

 itant of the island whose name he bears, whence the species were brought to Europe 

 in large numbers. Easily domesticated and bred, he became at once the cage-bird 

 to which the most care was given, and upon which the greatest attention was 

 lavished. It is related by the older authors, that the island of Elba was the first 

 European ground on which a Canary found resting-place ; having flown thither from 

 a ship bound to Leghorn, which foundered near the island. This theory is unworthy 

 of belief, as a crew of a foundering ship would probably attend to other duties 

 than that of opening a thousand cages, and allowing the birds to escape ; and a small 

 number would not be sufficient to form the basis for the extensive bird-trapping 

 which is reported to have taken place on the island. The first Canaries were brought 

 to England on regular ships plying between English ports and the south of France. 



They are at present found in a wild state in some of the islands off the coast of 

 Africa, but are rarely brought to civilized countries, owing to their inferiority in 

 every way to the domesticated birds. The superiority of the latter class over the 

 wild birds has been brought about by the watchful study which has been given them 

 in the various countries which have made the subject of Canary-raising a specialty. 

 Canaries have at the present time a nationality ; each breed being easily distin- 

 guished from the others by the various sizes, shapes, colors, and songs which they 

 distinctively have. 



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