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THE WILD CANARY.


Sir, —Will you kindly answer the following questions regarding the

Wild Canary, the progenitor of the domesticated bird.


(1) Is a bird called the St. Helena Canary the true Wild Canary

(Serinus canarius) ?


(2) Is the Wild Canary found in St. Helena as well as the Canary

Islands ?


(3) Is the call-note exactly similar to that of the domesticated bird ?


(4) Could it be mistaken for a Citril Finch ?


I have a bird obtained from a dealer, which was said to be a Wild

Canary from the Canary Islands, but it seems to be identical with another

bird bought by me as a Citril Finch. I have also a pair of birds sold to me

as St. Helena Canaries, which are quite different from the above. Could you

advise me as to the best way of obtaining a cock bird of the true Wild

Canary ? as I am very anxious to hear its song.


C. Harrison.



The follosvmg reply was sent to Mr. Harrison :—


(1) The St. Helena Canary is the Yellow-vented Serin ( Serinus

flaviventris ) usually known as the St. Helena Seed-eater.


(2) The Wild Canary is not found in St. Helena, but in Madeira, the

Canary Islands, and the Azores ; it is very common in Madeira.


(3) The song and call-note of Serinus canaria resemble those of the

untrained domesticated bird : by “ untrained” I mean all excepting Hartz-

mouiitaiu Rollers : the notes, however, are not quite so strong as those of

the typical Norwich Canary.


(4) The Citril Finch being a Siskin (not a Serin) should be readily

distinguished by the form of the beak and its more fidgety behaviour ; but

of these matters I cannot speak positively, as I have not kept the species ;

it is however decidedly^ larger, the Citril being four and four-fifths inches

in total length and the Canary just over four and a half inches. The

former is also much greener in colouring 011 the back, with the shaft-

streaks 011 the feathers less black, and the greater wing-coverts are tipped

with y^ellow, (forming a bar across the wing) whereas in the Canary these

feathers have whitish tips : the sides of the body below are moreover

streaked with black in the Canary.


Unless you know of somebody likely to visit Madeira, I am afraid I

cannot inform you where you can get living examples of the Wild

Canary. A. G. BUTLER.



GREEN CARDINALS.


Sir,-— After reading the highly-interesting article of the Rev. C. D.

Farrar in the July number of the Avicultural Magazine , and of his extra¬

ordinary success in breeding not only the Green Cardinals but also a great

number of other birds, the fact of my having been fortunate enough

to have bred two young Green Cardinals in my bird-room will hardly bear

recording.



