no cassell's book of birds. 



tamed in Europe. Those, on the contrary, which are kept in a state of captivity in the Canary 

 Islands have completely retained their original dimensions by mating with birds newly taken from 

 their wild state. The adult male wild Canary is greenish yellow upon the back, with blackish 

 streaks upon the shafts of the feathers, which are so broadly bordered with bright ashy grey, that the 

 latter might almost be described as the principal colour. The hinder part of the body is yellowish 

 green, the upper tail-covers excepted, which are green, edged with ash-grey ; the head and neck 

 feathers are yellowish green with narrow grey borders ; the forehead and two long stripes which rim in 

 a circular form over the eyes to the neck are of a greenish-gold colour, and the throat, upper part of 

 the breast, and sides of the neck are, on the contrary, of an ash-grey. The lower portion of the breast 

 is of a paler yellowish tint, the belly and under tail-covers whitish, the shoulders a beautiful siskin- 

 green, bordered with pale black and green, the blackish wing quill-feathers are edged with green, and 

 the blackish-grey tail-feathers sprinkled with white ; the eyes are brown, the beak and feet a brownish 

 flesh colour. 



Bolle is of opinion that the plumage above described is only acquired at the end of the second 

 year. The female is brownish grey upon the back, with broad black lines along the shafts of the 

 feathers ; the neck and top of the head are similarly coloured, but the ground colour of the feathers is 

 green. The cheek-stripes are grey, the forehead green, and the cheeks partly greenish yellow and 

 partly a blueish ash-grey. The neck is encircled by a line that is yellowish green in front, merging 

 into blueish ash-grey at the back ; this ring, however, is not very distinct. The shoulders and small 

 upper wing-feathers are a light yellowish green, the whitish-grey borders of which are broader, but not 

 so beautiful as in those of the old male bird. The lower part of the breast and belly are white, and 

 the feathers at the sides of the body brown, with dark lines at the shafts. The plumage of the young 

 birds is brownish, shading into yellow upon the breast, with a few touches of lemon-yellow upon the 

 Cheeks and throat. The colours are extremely difficult to describe, owing to the delicacy with which 

 the different shades are blended, and we may therefore add that the plumage is almost the same as 

 that with which we are familiar in what we call our tame green or grey Canaries. 



The food of these birds consists principally of green herbs, small seeds, and delicate juicy fruits — 

 a ripe fig, for instance, with its soft, juicy flesh and small kernels, is eagerly sought for and enjoyed, as 

 soon as the too ripe fruit has burst its violet or yellowish-green mantle, for until this happy time 

 arrives their small and delicate beak is quite powerless to penetrate the distended skin. A fig-tree, 

 when its fruit has reached this point of ripeness, is indeed a beautiful sight for those who have been 

 fortunate enough to see it literally covered by the various singing birds that are tempted to rob its 

 branches. Blackbirds, greenfinches, tom-tits, and many others come in variegated confusion to share 

 the dainty in common with our friend the Canary. Water is essential to its welfare, as it drinks much, 

 and is fond of bathing very frequently. These birds pair and begin to construct their nest about the 

 end of March, never, as far as we have been able to ascertain, fixing upon a spot that is less than eight 

 feet from the ground, preferring trees with slender stems, either evergreens or such as don their foliage 

 early in the spring. Amongst their favourite trees pears and pomegranates hold the first place. The 

 orange -tree is not often selected, on account of its bushy crown, and the fig-tree is never employed for 

 this purpose. The nest is always built in a retired spot, but is easily discovered on account of the 

 constant coming and going of the male bird. The first that we saw was found towards the end of 

 March, in a deserted garden of Villa Arotava, upon a box-tree about twelve feet in height, that stood 

 above a myrtle hedge. The nest merely rested upon the tree, being built between the forked portions 

 of a branch, and was beautifully constructed. It was broad at the base, and very narrow at the top, 

 with a tiny little entrance; The walls were formed throughout of snow-white wool, woven together 

 with a few blades of grass. The first egg was laid upon the first of March, and one was added daily 



