224 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Curious Anecdote. 



admits, but unwillingly, the chaffinch, yellow 

 bunting, and even the sparrow. 



Dr. Darwin relates the following curious anec- 

 dote of one of these birds. " On observing a 

 canary-bird at the house of Mr. Hervey, near 

 Tutbury, in Derbyshire, I was told it always 

 fainted away when its cage was cleaned; and I 

 desired to see the experiment. The cage being 

 taken from the ceiling, and the bottom drawn 

 out, the bird began to tremble, and turned quite 

 white about the root of its bill : he then opened 

 his mouth as if for breath, and respired quick, 

 stood up straighter on his perch, hung his wings, 

 spread his tail, closed his eyes, and appeared 

 quite stiff and cataleptic for nearly half an hour, 

 and at length, with much trembling and deep 

 respirations, came gradually to himself." 



It is by no means certain that the song of the 

 canary-bird is generally composed either of the 

 titlark's or the nightingale's notes. Mr. Bar- 

 rington saw two of the birds which came from 

 the Canary Islands, neither of which had any 

 song at all, and he was informed, that a ship 

 afterwards brought over a great many of them 

 with the same defect. Most of the birds that 

 are imported from the Tyrol, have been educated 

 under parents, the progenitors of which were in- 

 structed by a nightingale. Our English canary- 

 birds have, however, more of the titlark's than 

 of the nightingale's notes. 



