THE SINGING BIRD, OR " HARTZ " CANARY. 



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breeding, is well known to be a morbid one, and the Albinos 

 are, to say the least of it, very delicate. Red eyes, however 

 will sometimes be found even among uniformly-coloured 

 dun swallows. 



The Singing Bird, or " Hartz " Canary. — In shape 



and colour, the Harz-bird does not materially differ from 

 the common canary, although it may be remarked that the 

 former breed produces chiefly birds of a pale yellow, pale 

 green, and a greyish-green colour. 1 



According to their mode of singing, the Hartz-birds have 

 been divided into three classes, as follows : — a. Nightingale- 

 ivarblers (orig. " Schlager "), or glucking-hirds, these, how- 

 ever, have not been taught in their youth by nightingales, 

 and therefore they would more suitably bear the second of 

 these appellations. The name of the bird depends as much 

 upon the length and variety of the melodies, as upon the 

 delicacy of the vocal organ and the beauty of the voice. 

 The melodies must be prolonged in such measure that one 

 can count at least till twelve, possibly till 25, and at 

 the most till 30. Moreover, the songster must not break 

 off his song before he has sung about from 3 to 6 melodies, 

 but must "sing through," i.e., he must perform his song 

 quietly and without excitement, as it were, in a dispassionate 

 manner ; he must sing neither too much, nor too little. 



In order to inform amateurs of the technical terms 

 current among breeders and connoisseurs, for the indication 



1 The question has often been raised, why bright yellow and 

 bright green birds are not popular in the Hartz-breed ; and upon 

 this point a dealer has pronounced as follows: — (1) Because such 

 birds are less efficient for breeding purposes ; (2) because they do not 

 easily learn to sing well ; and, lastly, because it is not easy to distin- 

 guish their sex, and also, that they are but seldom regularly marked 

 or speckled ; there are both smooth-headed and crested ones among 

 them. 



