THE FINCHES. 93 



builds in holes like the House-Sparrow, and lays similar 

 eggs. 



THE CANARY (Serinus canaria)* may fairly be called 

 the most popular of all Finches. A native of the Islands 

 whose name he bears, he has been domesticated for three 

 centuries at least, and is a household pet everywhere. 

 The wild bird is a little smaller than an ordinary tame one, 

 and is in colour olive-green with darker streaks ; many 

 tame Canaries show this colour, and many also are pied 

 green and yellow, but the pure yellow has now become the 

 common, and even proverbial colour of the bird. Fanciers 

 recognize two shades of this colour ; the " yellow " 

 properly speaking being of a bright rich colour, while the 

 light-yellow birds running into white are called " buff." 

 The true yellow is rarely seen in India, almost all the 

 numerous birds imported from China being buffs, though a 

 few are green or pied. Cinnamon is another colour not 

 seen in Chinese Canaries, but many English birds show it. 

 It is a pale brown with darker streaks ; and birds may 

 be pied with cinnamon just as some are pied with green. 

 In England, Canaries destined for shows are colour-fed, as 

 it is called ; that is to say, during the moult, they are fed 

 largely on egg-food with which a red colouring matter, 

 mainly composed of cayenne pepper, has been liberally 

 mixed. Instead of green food, marigold flowers are given 

 them. On this diet, they moult out in much enhanced 

 plumage, a yellow or buff bird becoming orange, and a 

 cinnamon one brick-red ; greens are not colour-fed. 



Of course the effect of this feeding is not permanent ; 

 at the next moult, unless the tinted rations are again 



