Smithsonian Institution Sibraries Alexander Wetmore 1940 Sixth Secretary 19 53 O. Whore "RUVNVO O@Z1Ud NOGNOT FHL LAT ile ek SS dennwete2——. NT ee Seren — = ee ~S, vm anmm & Tt < eH CANARY ITS HISTORY, VARIETIES, MANAGEMENT AND BREEDING. BY RICHARD AVIS. THIRD EDITION. ; LONDON: GROOMBRIDGE AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW. PRINTED BY J. E. ADLARD, BARTHOLOMEW CUOSE. CONTENTS. CHAPTER 1. History OF THE CANARY CHAPTER iF VARIETIES OF THE CANARY CHAPTER III. Foop AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT CHAPTER IV. CAGES CHAPTER V. BREEDING . - 7 t J CHAPTER VI. EDUCATION OF THE YOUNG ss - CHAPTER: Vil. MULES 4 e CHAPTER VIII. DISEASES PAGE ° 5 e ll - 34 LHE CANARY. CHAPTER I. HISTORY OF THE CANARY. Tuts well-known songster, whose attractive qualities of form, plumage, and song, claim for it a place in every household, had its origin in the bright and plea- sant climate of the Canary Islands. It was intro- duced into Europe in the commencement of the sixteenth century, and its arrival is thus described: * —‘‘ A vessel which, besides its merchandise, was bringing a number of these birds to Leghorn, was shipwrecked on the coast of Italy, opposite the island of Elba, where these little birds, having been set at liberty, took refuge. The climate being favorable they increased, and would certainly have become naturalised, had not the wish to possess them occasioned their being caught in such numbers, that at last they were extirpated from their new home. From this cause * BECHSTEIN’s ‘ History of Cage Birds,’ with coloured plates. Price 3s. 6d. Groombridge and Sons’ edition. G Italy was the first European country where the canary was reared. At first their education was difficult, as the proper manner of treating them was unknown; and what tended to make them scarce was, that only the male birds were brought over—no females. “The grey of its primitive colour, darker on the back and greener on the belly, has undergone so many changes from its being domesticated, from the climate and from the union with birds analogous to it (in Italy, with the citril finch, the serin; and in our own country with the linnet, the green finch, the siskin, and the goldfinch), that now we have canaries of all colours. If we had not sufficient proof that canaries came originally from the Fortunate Islands, we should think the citril finch, the serin, and the siskin, were the wild stock of this domesticated race. I have seen a bird whose parent birds were a siskin and serin, which perfectly resembled a variety of the canary, which is called the green. I have also seen mules from a female grey canary, in which was no trace of their true parentage. The grey, the yellow, the white, the blackish and the chesnut, are the principal varieties, and it is from their combination, and their tints, that we derive the numerous varieties that we now possess.” Those birds that have the upper part of the body of a dusky grey or linnet brown, and the under part of the yellowish green of the green- 7 bird, are the strongest, and most nearly resemble the primitive race. The yellow and white are the most tender. The female can scarcely be distinguished from the male, but the male has generally deeper and brighter colours, a head rather larger and longish, a longer body, a more elegant form, neck not quite so short, and higher shanks. There is a bean-shaped feather under the beak, placed lower than the rest, and the temples and circles round the eyes are of a deeper yellow than the other parts of the body. The length of the canary is about five inches, of which the tail measures two and a quarter ; the beak five lines long, is strong, pointed, and whitish; the shanks eight lines in height, are of a flesh colour. 0 ES she y ~ ) CHAPTER II. VARIETIES OF THE CANARY. Since the introduction of the first wild birds into Europe many distinct varieties have occurred ; some writers enumerating more than twenty, but as we think that it would be difficult to classify so many, allowing each a sufficient difference to constitute a distinct variety, we shall only describe those where the difference is so marked as to entitle it to be con- sidered a distinct breed. They may be divided into ten varieties, viz. :—The London Fancy (of which our coloured frontispiece is so faithful a portrait), with black wings and tail; the Lizards, the Yorkshire Spangles, the Norwich Yellows, the Green, the Cinnamon, the Pale Yellow, the Pure White, the Belgian, and the Turncrest. We will proceed to describe them in the order in which we have here given them: _ Tar Lonpon Fancy,—known as the London - Fancy because it is there that it is chiefly bred—may be thus described :—Zhe body—rich golden yellow or deep orange, without any approach to a pale or mealy 9 tinge ; tail and wings—black (a foul feather, either white amongst the black, or grey amongst the yellow, would disqualify it as a prize bird). These distinctive markings do not reappear after the first moulting. Lizarps.—So called from some fancied resem- blance in the markings to the reptile of that name. The body—clear grey or bright orange, covered all over with regular black spots; crown of the head— pure white or yellow; tail, wings, and feet—a uniform dark hue, without any admixture of white; throat and breast—a lighter shade than the back, approach- ing more nearly the colour of the head. YorKSHIRE SpanaLE.—Named from the county in which it is chiefly bred. Zhe body—a pale mealy colour ; head— greenish brown; wings — greenish brown. Norwicu YetLow.—The body, head, tail, and wivgs —golden yellow. Gremen.—The body—Grass green, with long dark stripes down the back ; breast—saftron yellow ; wings and tail—grass green, striped with black. Cinnamon.—The body and breast—bright yellow or mealy white; head, wings, and tail—cinnamon or reddish fawn. 10 Pure WuHite anpd Pats Yrttow.—The colour of these birds must be pure white or pale yellow, un- tainted with dark feathers of any kind. Brieran.— The body—Long, tapering, and slender ; head—square, wide, and flat; neck—long, tapering, and snake-like. The chief characteristics of this breed is the high square shoulder and erect position when standing on the perch, the pinions of the wings being placed much higher up on the back than in any other variety. Turncrests.—Birds with a crest of feathers at the top of the head, hanging down over the beak and eyes. In breeding birds of this description it should be remembered that only one of the parent birds should be crested. If both are crested there is the proba- bility that many of the offspring will be deficient in this appendage, if they are not positively bald. “2a oitAs at Pye ee cnene ee Rw ioe CHAPTER IIT. FOOD AND GENERAL MANAGEMENT. THE proper food for THE CANARY is canary seed, which should be large and glassy, mixed with about one fourth part of the best rape seed ; and little else is required except green food, such as chickweed,. groundsel, or watercress, which should be given fresh every day, witha plentiful supply of clean water, both for drinking and bathing purposes. The bottom of ‘he cage should be covered with fine sharp red sand, and the perches (which should be square and firmly fixed) regularly scraped, so as to maintain perfect. cleanliness. Great variety of food is not required, and ‘‘as* it is simple and natural, it will be wholesome; and on the contrary, the more it is mixed and rare, the: more injurious and productive of disease it will be. What I have found the best is summer rape seed; I mean that which is sown at the end of spring, which: * BEcuHSTEIN’s ‘ History of Cage Birds,’ with coloured plates.. Price 3s. 6d. Groombridge and Sons’ edition. 12 is small and brown, in distinction from the winter rape-seed, which is sown in the autumn, and which is large and black. This seed alone agrees with canaries as well as with linnets: but togive them the pleasure of variety a little bruised hemp, or canary, or poppy seed, is added to it, especially in the spring, when they are intended to breed. Indeed, a mixture of summer rape seed, oatmeal and linnet, or canary seed, may be given them as a great treat; but what- ever seeds they may have, they equally require green food, as chickweed in spring, lettuce and radish leaves in summer, endive, watercress, and slices of sweet _ apple, in winter. As to that whimsical and com- plicated mixture prescribed and used by many people of rape, millet, hemp, canary seed, whole oats and oatmeal, poppy, lettuce, plaintain, potentilla, and pink seeds, maize, sugar, cake, hard biscuit, cracknels, buns, and the like, so far from being wholesome, it injures the birds in every respect. It spoils their taste, weakens their stomachs, renders them feeble, sickly, and incapable of bearing moulting, under which they most frequently die. It is true, they may be accustomed to eat of everything which comes to table, but to teach this habit is also to prepare a poison for them, which though slow is not the less sure, and brings them to a premature death; whilst every day we see bird-fanciers who are poor, who hardly know 13 the names of these delicacies, rear on the simplest fooda considerable number of the healthiest, cleverest, and strongest canaries. We must, however, be guided in a great measure by the constitution of the birds. They should be daily supplied with fresh water, as well for drinking and bathing, in which they delight. In the moulting season a nail or bit of iron should be put into the water, in order to strengthen the sto- mach. Saffron and liquorice are in this case more hurtful than useful. Grains of the sand with which the bottom of the cage is strewed afford the birds a help to digestion. What has been said above refers solely to the food of full-grown birds ; the young, which cannot feed themselves, require a different diet.” Except in the breeding season the male canaries are kept alone in separate cages, which, whatever the shape, ought not to be less than eight inches in dia- meter and a foot in height, with two sticks placed across for the bird to perch on. The females may be allowed to range the room with one wing’ clipped, or, what is better, kept in large cages, where, from having plenty of exercise, their health and strength are better preserved. In the small cages, glass vases should be placed on the outside, at the extremities of the lower stick, to hold the food and water. These may be sur- mounted with a cap of tin, or something of the kind, 14 — to prevent the seed from being so easily scattered. It is for this reason that the large seed drawers in an aviary are covered with iron wire-work, leaving only sufficient spaces for the heads of the birds to pass through. Cleanliness being a great preservative against most of their disorders, the bottom of the cage should be made to draw out, that it may the easier be cleaned and covered with sand. This should be done every day, or at least several times a week. These tender birds, being natives of a warm climate, and be- coming more delicate instead of hardier from being kept in the house, require a temperature analogous to that of their native climate. They must be protected from the cold, and never allowed to remain in winter ina cold room, which would occasion many diseases, or even death. But in summer it is proper to place them in the open air, and they enjoy it very much. Never do they sing so gaily as on fine days, and their cages should therefore be placed at the open window, that they may have the advantage of the light and heat of the sun, which is particularly serviceable to them whilst bathing. There is too much trouble and risk in allowing canaries to go in and out of their cages for it to be worth the trouble of teaching them this. Notwith- standing all my attention and the care which I have taken to follow exactly the prescribed rules I have 15 never succeeded; and the cleverest bird-fanciers have assured me that it should never be attempted but when they have young ones—and, above all, there must be no canaries in the neighbouring houses, which might entice them away. Indeed, it is no easy matter to accustom a bird to go and come. Mr. Kidd, how- ever, in his treatise on the canary,* says, “They may be easily taught by affectionate care to come out of their cages when called for; or to sit on the finger and sing when requested.” * «THE CANARY, a Cage and Chamber Bird.’ By WILLIAM Kipp. Price 6s. Groombridge and Sons, London. n ae eetat LYS o ae) ; 16 CIIAPTER IV. CAGES. Tue selection of cages will always be a matter of taste; but, for all practical purposes, it should be remembered that little ornamentation or expense is necessary. The Rev. Francis Smith in his book says,*—“ They may be too small, or too large, too ornamental or too elaborate in their workmanship, and in either or all of these cases they do not answer the purpose required. If a cage be too small it is cruel to the bird you desire to pet, while if it be too large, a single bird will not only appear lost in it, but in all probability it will have the effect of making him less dis} osed to treat you with his song. On the other hand, if a cage be too elaborate and ornamental in its design and workmanship, the effect will be to fasten the attention rather on the casket than on the jewel it is meant to enshrine. Since the first Great Exhibition in Hyde Park we have had *