ClafsII; CANARY BIRD. 317 



them •, and Aldrovand * fpeaks of them as rarities, 

 that they were very dear on occount of the difficulty 

 attending the bringing them from fo diftant a coun- 

 try, and that they were purchafed by people of rank 

 alone. Olina -f fays, that in his time there was a de- 

 generate fort found on the ifle of Elba, off the coafl 

 of Italy^ which came there originally by means of a 

 ihip bound from the Canaries to Leghorn, and was 

 wrecked on that ifland. We once faw lbme fmall 

 birds brought directly from the Canary IJlands, that 

 we fufpect to be the genuine fort ; they were of a dull 

 green color, but as they did not fing, we fuppofed 

 them to be hens. Thefe birds will produce with the 

 goldfinch and linnet, and the offspring is called a 

 mule-bird, becaufe, like that animal, it proves 

 barren. 



They are Hill found J on the fame fpot to which 

 we were firfb indebted for the production of fuch 

 charming fongfters ; but they are now become fo nu- 

 merous in our own country, that we are under no 

 neceflity of croffing the ocean for them. 



* Aldr. aw. ii. 355. 



•J- Olina uccel. 7 . 



\ Glas'shijf. Canary IJles, 199. 



%2 X. Ths 



