Class II. CANARY BIRD. 4&) 



Canary bird,* which is of the finch tribe. Canary 

 It was originally peculiar to those isles, to 

 which it owes its name; the same that were 

 known to the antients by the addition of the 

 fortunate. The happy temperament of the air ; 

 the spontaneous productions of the ground in 

 the varieties of fruits ; the sprightly and chear- 

 ful disposition of the inhabitants ;f and the 

 harmony arising from the number of the birds 

 found there, % procured them that romantic di- 

 stinction. Though the antients celebrate the 

 isle of Canaria for the multitude of birds, they 

 have not mentioned any in particular. It is 

 probable then, that our species was not intro- 

 duced into Europe till after the second discovery 

 of these isles, which was in the fourteenth cen- 

 tury. We are uncertain when it first made its 

 appearance in this quarter of the globe. Belon, 



* Wil. orn. 262. Rail Syn. av. 91. Serin des Canaries. Bris- 

 son av. iii. 184. Fringilla Canaria. Gm. Lin. 913. 



-J- Fortunatae insula abundant sua sponte genitis, et subinde 

 aliis super aliis innascentibus nihil solicitos alunt; beatius quam 

 alia urbes excultce. Mela de sit. orb. iii. 17. He then relates 

 the vast flow of mirth among this happy people, by a figurative 

 sort of expression, that alludes to their tempering discretion with 

 their jollity, and never suffering it to exceed the bounds of pru- 

 dence. This he delivers under the notion of two fountains found 

 among them, alterum qui gustavere risu solvuntur^ in mortem ; 

 ita affectis remedium est ex altero bibere. 



X Omnes copia pomorum, et avium omnes generis abundant, 

 &c. Plin. lib. vi. c. 32. 



