CHAPTER XVI 



CANARIES 



When the first little dull-colored wild canaries were taken 

 to Europe from the Canary Islands, who could have fore- 

 told that their descendants would brighten the homes of the 

 world ? Who can say why this bird, instead of other Euro- 

 pean finches, was cultivated and developed to fit it for the 

 place it now occupies in the hearts of men? The Goldfinch 

 and the Linnet both are better singers than the wild canary. 

 The Serin Finch which inhabits southern Europe and even 

 Germany sings at least as well as its island relative, and 

 was much more readily obtained by early breeders. The 

 charm of the exotic may have something to do with it, but 

 perhaps the little olive bird, like the Jungle Fowl and the 

 Mallard Duck, had the happy faculty of thriving in cap- 

 tivity, only waiting for the opportunity to arrive. At any 

 rate the canary, more than any other small bird, has been 

 bred and modified in captivity, almost out of all resemblance 

 to its original self. 



The Wild Canary (Serimcs canarius) is smaller than the 

 ordinary domestic bird. It is ashy-olive above, the feathers 

 with dark central streaks. The forehead, breast and rump 

 are greenish-yellow, and wings and tail are washed with 

 the same color. The sides of the breast are gray with dark 

 stripes, while the abdomen is white. The female is slightly 

 duller than the male. The Serin Finch (Serinus serinus), 

 which is often miscalled the Wild Canary, is considerably 

 smaller, and has the yellow of the breast much brighter 

 and more thickly streaked with black. It has been suggested 

 that the modern canary might have originated from a cross 



206 



