ENGLISH " COLOUR "-CANARIES. 



33 



guards ") ; from the croup, too, some long feathers descend, 

 hanging down from the tail between both legs. Those are 

 called the " etendards " (standards). The so-named Dutch 

 birds are classed as follows : — White, Yellow, and Dun- 

 coloured; and White-yellow and Dun-speckled. The white 

 ones are large, coarse, and densely plumed ; the yellow 

 appear to be longer, their feathers are more pointed and fit 

 more closely ; the dun-coloured are smaller, weaker, and 

 also rarer. The voice of these birds is very different, for, 

 while some of them will perform a long and melodious song, 

 others, and precisely those which are handsomest and which 

 display the distinctive marks of their breed in the most 

 pronounced manner, utter only one coarse sound, to which 

 they probably owe the name of " trumpeter." 



For some years past, the most zealous breeders and 

 fanciers have endeavoured to give their Dutch bird a better 

 posture (" pose "), by crossing it with the Belgian breed. 

 The Dutch birds are vivacious and jealous. However, many 

 young may be bred if one male is placed with two females, 

 and if it can be so arranged that the male is sometimes 

 entirely removed ; for when a female is steadily hatching, 

 she will, on hearing the song of the male, in many cases 

 abandon nest and eggs, and will hasten towards him. 



English " Colour "-Canaries. — My readers have, 

 hitherto, become acquainted with the Hartz-bird in its simple, 

 outward appearance, which, however, is redeemed by its 

 varied and delightful songs ; and further, they have been in- 

 troduced to the common German canary, whose song is of 

 no value, but which is, not unfrequently, bred in very 

 beautiful tints and designs ; and finally, the more singularly 

 formed Dutch canary has been fully treated on ; accordingly 

 we may now distinguish all canaries as : 



1, Singing birds ; 2, Colour-birds ; and 3, Posture-birds ; to 

 these has lately been added a group which, from its singu- 



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