Evolution of 
the Canary. 
(io) 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
Canary Breeding. 
A Lady Amateur’s Nine Years’ Experience. 
By MISS ALICE HINTON. 
I am writing as the result of about nine years’ 
experience and accumulated observations in the 
delightful hobby of breeding and rearing the 
canary. This pursuit has been one of my labours 
of leisure for the above period. A friend pre¬ 
sented me, in the first instance, with a pair of 
Norwich canaries, telling me that the cock was 
upwards of ten years of age. I named him 
“ Old Grandpapa,” and that season paired him 
to the hen, who was said to be some years 
younger. She went by the name of “ Little 
Muddie.” In every way he was a model father, 
and that summer they brought up several birds. 
To my grief, Little Muddie died in the autumn. 
The aged couple were so devoted to each other, 
that the day before she died, Muddie rested her 
head on “ Grandpapa’s ” breast for several hours. 
The following year I mated “ Grandpapa ” 
with a large green hen, named Angelique, after 
a French lady who presented her to me. They 
had three lovely birds. “ Josie ” was one, a large 
green cock, who now, at the age of seven years, 
is looked upon as the head of the large family, 
which originated 
from “ Grand¬ 
papa.” There 
were two daugh¬ 
ters—“ Ann,” who 
died, and “ Eliza¬ 
beth,” who paired 
the following year 
with a yellow cock, 
and has brought 
up large families. 
“ Grandpapa ” had 
a third wife, a 
bright little Lon¬ 
don Fancy, and to 
her descendants 
“ Grandpapa ’ had a third wife — the honour of 
a bright little London Fancy.” some good Border 
Fancies are due, 
a great-great-grandchild having taken a first 
and special at a recent show at Hastings. “ Grand¬ 
papa ” lived to be twenty-two years of age, and 
about fifty of his descendants are now living. A 
genealogical tree is kept, and a diary of all their 
proceedings, by which means I am certain from 
what nest the birds proceed, as well as of their 
age and parentage. 
The birds are for the most part inbred; each 
is given a name and is known by it. The old 
stock are always kept, but the young ones cf 
each season are occasionally parted with; so that 
they may have the credit of saying that, to some 
extent, they are self-supporting. They generally 
breed between thirty and forty young in the sea¬ 
son, mostly in the ordinary breeding cages ; but 
three very tame sets are allowed to use the large 
aviary with the partitions between. These sets 
have wire baskets hung on, and felt nests 
inside, a little moss being given as an induce¬ 
ment to build. The eggs are never removed, as 
I think the hens must feel some satisfaction to 
see them come one after the other. It is my 
aim to make them happy and as natural in their 
habits as possible. My hens are only allowed 
two broods in the year; if their powers are taxed 
too heavily they seldom live very long. The trays 
during the breeding season are taken out three 
times a week, and when the young are a fort¬ 
night old they are removed into a clean nest in 
the nursery division, so that the hen should not 
pull their feathers out, as some mothers are in¬ 
clined to do. I am confident that the tamer the 
birds are, the more successful are the results. 
A careless father is paired the following year to 
an ideal mother, and vice versq with the hens. It 
is best to give a proved hen to a young 5 cock. 
They are not allowed to choose their own mates; 
so in order not to' hurt tftoir feelings, they are 
separated before any attachment springs up 
among them. I give one instance of this. 
“Grandpapa’s” son (from his third wife), 
named “ Wee Tim,” was left in the aviary on 
account of his being a very gentle bird; he 
made choice of a large hen, and was allowed 
that spring to mate her. The following season 
no inducements would get him to pair, and I 
found out the reason later on—his favourite 
was in the next breeding cage, and she continu¬ 
ally cried to him I moved him into another 
