86 The Canary. 



known. Each bird has a separate number marked on 

 his cage, which is duly registered in a book, which thus 

 indicates the name of the breeder, the particular cha- 

 racter of the song all his birds are taught, which again 

 is chequed by the private mark of the dealer or dealers 

 through whose hand he has passed. You have, there- 

 fore, only to separate one or two birds at a time, and 

 take them into another room by themselves and hear 

 them sing, and make your choice between the various 

 songs you may hear. Having done this, you may then 

 select from all the birds bearing this number the one 

 whose appearance you like best, and you will obtain 

 without much difficulty the bird you most desire. All 

 bred by one breeder have the same song, and one is 

 better than another only in the accidents of the quality 

 of his voice, the pleasing appearance of his looks or 

 the soundness of his constitution. Most of them are 

 very plain-looking birds, being mealy in their colour, 

 and very short and stumpy in their figure. They are, 

 therefore, very small and inelegant, to use only a mild 

 term, compared with either the Belgian or the more 

 highly -bred birds among the English. " Handsome, 

 however, is he that handsome does," assuredly applies 

 to the little German from the Tyrol or the Hartz, and 

 for a parlour companion he easily bears away the bell. 

 Some talk about his being more delicate than the 

 English, and requiring much more care and attention 

 to keep him in full song. My own experience proves 

 the contrary. My own bird is as hardy, if not the 

 hardiest, of any canary that we have, though kept in 

 a small cage by himself, instead of having a roomy 



