THE CANARY. 289 



vessel beyond which it is not safe to cut, may be distinctly 

 seen. The claws of brooding hens ought sometimes also to be 

 cut, as otherwise they become entangled by them in the nest. 

 The consciousness of having very long claws, and the fear of 

 becoming fast in the wire of the cage, often make Canaries 

 melancholy, and take away the desires of food. 



11. Lice. Canaries when diseased, or not kept with suf- 

 ficient cleanliness, are often very much plagued with these 

 little creatures, and manifest their uneasiness by constant rest- 

 lessness. Frequent bathing and a clean cage, strewed with dry 

 sand mixed with a little crushed aniseed, are the best preven- 

 tives. It is also a good plan to substitute for perches of solid 

 wood, others of reed or elderwood, into the cavities of which 

 the insects creep, and from which they may be daily dis- 

 lodged. 



If Canaries breed, they rarely live more than ten years, but 

 under other circumstances, they may be preserved with care 

 for twice that period. 



Attractive Qualities. The Canary has always been a favou- 

 rite Cage-bird, not only on account of the beauty of its plumage 

 and the excellence of its song, but also of its docility, affection- 

 ate disposition, and the readiness with which it breeds in con- 

 finement. Another source of gratification connected with this 

 bird is the observation of its peculiarities of disposition. Some 

 are melancholy, others lively ; some of a peaceful, others of a 

 quarrelsome disposition ; some docile, others stupid ; some eager 

 to pair, others delighting in solitude, &c. Their chief recom- 

 mendation, however, consists, beyond doubt, in their loud, 

 lively, and various song, which is continued throughout the 

 year, in some cases, even in the moulting seasons. Some, which 

 are very much esteemed, will sing even at night, if a light be 

 placed near their cage ; a peculiarity which, though natural in 

 some, is in most, the result of long training. The singers of the 

 Tyrol, so called from the country where they are caught, which 

 imitate the Nightingale's song, are considered to hold the first 

 rank ; and next to these the English Canaries, which have ac- 

 quired the warbling of the Wood Lark. In Thuringia, those 

 are most esteemed which, instead of a sonorous song of their 

 own, have been taught to descend through the notes of an 

 octave in a clear silvery tone, occasionally introducing a trum- 

 pet-like song, Terteng. In the pairing season, the males some- 



