Evolution of 
the Canary. 
(ii) 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
room, but he moped, and that year he would 
not pair. The next year a wife was selected as 
like his favourite as possible, and they did very 
well. 
Some canaries have so great an antipathy to 
each other that they cannot be brought to pair, 
and when this is seen they should be separated 
at once. If our birds are familiar with us as 
they should be, they will exhibit their confi¬ 
dence in our sympathy and make their wants 
known to us; I have always found that if there 
is anything amiss with their nestlings they at¬ 
tract my attention by signals that cannot be 
mistaken. My hens are fond of pulling my 
hair as the spring comes on, and then I either 
give them mates from my aviary, or part with 
them to friends. I am convinced that success 
depends upon perfect cleanliness, and great at¬ 
tention in all respects to their health. Mine 
are constantly under supervision, and the first 
signs of drooping leads to their removal from 
the large aviary to a small cage. I have had 
a few cases of asthma, and except in a very 
bad case have found most beneficial results from 
the cure prescribed in that valuable paper Cage 
Birds, which I have taken regularly for the 
last three years. I am seldom troubled with 
the red mite—only a few in the breeding season. 
I resort to a lump of camphor dissolved in 
methylated spirit, and brush this well all round 
the woodwork. As I have before said, I am 
an advocate of perfect cleanliness, air and ex¬ 
ercise. 
I find my pets are very docile and enjoy a fly 
out. I never catch them, but throw into the 
aviary some favourite seed, niga, or a very few 
hemps and they make a rush for that at once. They 
have a little nourishing food during their moult 
—bread and milk, with maw seed once a day. 
Their ordinary food is plain canary and rape. 
When setting, I give chopped egg with bread 
crumbs three times a day, and some put in their 
tin the last thing at night, as I find they feed 
their young in the early hours of the morning. 
They have green food, if possible, two or three 
times a week, groundsel, lettuce or watercress. 
It is better for them to have a little constantly, 
than a great quantity now and then, as they 
are apt to eat over-eagerly of it when given 
seldom. Variety in their food is necessary for 
all birds. 
I collect for winter consumption plantain for 
the canaries, thistle and knapweed for my 
goldfinch and linnet, and privet berries for the 
bullfinch. These dainties they welcome, and I 
am sure they help to keep them in health with 
seed good and sound; birds not exposed to 
draughts or sudden changes of temperature 
rarely have much the matter with them. A bag 
of hemps is always kept for them to eat from 
the hand, which means that amongst so many 
they only get about six each a day. I believe 
the canary is never fat if in health, as his con¬ 
stant singing and activity keeps him in condi¬ 
tion. They have a bath every morning, cold 
in the summer, tepid in the winter. I give 
them dried sea-sand, because I think that the 
saline properties are good, and instead of giv¬ 
ing them sugar, they have pieces of cuttlefish 
hung in the aviary. 
As the birds get 
into years they fly 
on my hand and take 
seeds from my 
mouth; sometimes 
some of the younger 
ones will follow their 
elders in doing the 
same. 
I must tell you a 
little about a very 
tame bird, a grand¬ 
son of old “ Grand¬ 
papa.” He is named 
Punchie, and is quite 
the children’s friend; 
as he has an inordinate love for any dainty, I 
can always get him to fly on their hands for a 
tit-bit. He is a great lazy fellow, and has only 
paired twice, and each time had one large bird. 
His wife, “ Myrtle,” often would watch him 
eat the egg-food, and as he did not come up to 
feed her, would fly down to him in quite a tem¬ 
per and send him up to the nest. He is al¬ 
lowed a cage to himself; of a morning he will 
fly on to my cup, waiting patiently for a piece 
of soaked bread. 
a piece of soaked bread.” 
It may interest some of your readers to know 
what results from breeding came from a few of 
the families, so I will give you those of two sea¬ 
sons from old “Grandpapa’s” eldest son by his 
second wife. Joseph, the green cock, was 
paired to his half-sister Coquette, a bright little 
buff hen with evenly marked wings. They had 
five little ones—Bartie, a fine, deep yellow- 
splashed cock; Pretoria, a green cock; and 
three clear hens. The second season “ Joseph ” 
was wed to a large green hen called Shamrock, 
and the result was a large clear-vellow cock, 
called Barney 
O’Hea, and two 
green hens. I keep 
a diary of the re¬ 
sults of each year’s 
breeding, and find 
that, generally 
speaking, the finest 
harmony is pro¬ 
duced. from oppo¬ 
sition. I mean by 
this, that to breed a 
fine-coloured yellow 
bird without a spot 
or splash one should 
select a buff hen 
from a clear stock 
and mate her with a clear yellow cock. To get 
fine-coloured pied birds, select a yellow cock and 
mate with a rich green hen. All these are tried 
facts. 
All who see my birds compliment me on their 
glossy plumage and nice deep-yellow colour. I 
w 
My little Border Hen came 
out 1st and Special.” 
