The Canary Birds 
ther up the mountain where the temperature is still 
comfortable; and when this brood is well-grown, the 
enterprising and industrious parents go up the moun- 
tain still higher to a cooler level, and there rear an- 
other brood. August finds them rearing their fourth 
brood near the mountain peaks. Indeed they need 
to rear many broods in their native islands, for sev- 
eral kinds of hawks are there, and two species of owls 
that are always hunting for little birds to satisfy their 
appetites. However, there are no snakes there to 
steal their nestlings. The food of the wild canary 
consists of various seeds and fruits; and it is espec- 
ially fond of figs. A wild annual grass of the Canary 
Island produces the canary seed which we buy. 
This grass is now extensively cultivated for the pur- 
pose of exporting seed as bird food. 
The canaries have spread to the Islands of Mad- 
eira, Elba and St. Helena. They were first brought 
to Europe about three hundred years ago, and 
were first bred for sale in Germany. In the year 
1677 England imported some of these canaries from 
Germany, but a little later the rearing of birds be- 
came a regular business; and at present it has become 
so important a business in England, as well as on 
the Continent, that the doings of the canary world 
are chronicled weekly in their journals with as much 
accuracy as the rise and the fall of the money market. 
The original canary has been crossed with several 
allied species of European birds, resulting in about 
fifty well-marked varieties on the market. It is inter- 
esting to note that with breeding, the voice of the 
canary has strengthened, and its songs are sweeter 
and far more varied than when it was wild. Al- 
though its voice has less power and variety than 
that of the nightingale, it has better power of learn- 
ing for it has a better ear and a better memory than 
that famed songster. 
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