250 CANARIES 



From the Eighteenth Century. 



Treating on the management of singing canaries an 

 old writer of the eighteenth century said : — " It may 

 truly be said that almost all Canary birds differ in their 

 temper and inclinations, but being afraid it would take 

 up too much time to distinguish between them all suc- 

 cessively, I think fit to divide them into four classes. In 

 the first place I find some cocks who are always of a 

 melancholy temper, and, if I may so call it, thoughty, who 

 sing but seldom and in a doleful tone, being for the most 

 part huffied up. This sort of Canary birds seldom answer 

 the end they are designed for, for if you would teach them 

 to sing flageolet tunes they are a prodigious time learning, 

 and are never perfect in what they have been taught ; 

 besides that, what they have learnt they easily forget, 

 especially the first time they come to be sick, as at moult- 

 ing time and the Uke ; aud sometimes there are such 

 as pine so much at being always covered that they die, and 

 this sort of Canary birds, though they are cocks, I believe 

 would never sing unless they were put to it under other 

 old brisk Canary birds, that hearing them continually sing 

 they may in some manner serve them instead of masters." 



Buying Roller Canaries. 



The best time of the year to purchase Rollers, either 

 as singing birds, or with a view to breeding, is the autumn, 

 soon after the birds have come through the moult, and 

 are getting in full song. It is an easy matter then to 

 select a good performer, as the best birds come to market 

 early. If your object in purchasing is to make a start as a 

 breeder yourself, then buy one of the best. Don't be 

 tempted into buying something because it is cheap. It 

 requires a practised ear to select a good songster, and, 

 if you are unacquainted with someone who is a con- 

 noisseur in Rollers, you must more or less trust to the 

 dealer from whom you are buying. What are known as 

 hollow rolls and flute notes constitute the Roller's song. 

 Amongst other notes there are bass rolls, water bubble 

 rolls, flat, long, short, rising, falling, full, soft hard, 

 bell, rattle, whistle, and other rolls. A high-class per- 

 former will utter all his different notes full, clear, and dis- 



