CANARY-BIRD, or CANARY-FINCH, Lo Sorb' de Canaria of the French, Per Canarienvogel of the Germans, Canario of tho the Canary of the English, Fringilia Canaria of 'Animus. This bird is the well-known songster which is to be found caged in every house whore the inmates aro fond of song-birds. The Canary Islands are the most frequented haunts of the species. In the wild state the prevailing hue, according to the observations of Adamson, Labillardiere, and others, is gray or brown, mingled however with "other colours, but never reaching the brilliancy of plutnago exhibited by the bird in eaptivity—a brilliancy arising from long domestication and repeated crosses with analagous species. Its introduction into Europe is stated by some to have taken place in tho 14th century ; but Bechetein names tho beginning of the 18th. " The arrivar," says the author last quoted, "of the canary in Europe, is Gun described :— A vessel which in addition to its other merchandise was bringing a number of these birds to Leghorn, was wrecked on the const of Italy, oppomito the island of Elba, where these little birds, having been set at liberty, took refuge. The climate being favourable they increased, and would certainly have become naturalised, had not the wish to pos sess them occonioned their being caught in such numbers that at last they were extirpated from their new abode. From this cause 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 render them scarce was that only the male birds were brought over,—no females. The gray of its primi tive colour, darker on the back and greener on the belly, has under gone 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; in our country—Germany—with the linnet, the green finch, the siskin, and the goldfinch), that we now have canaries of all colours. If we had not sufficient proof that canaries came originally from the Fortunate Islands, we should think the eitril-finch, the serin, and the Riskin were the wild stock of the domesticated race.
I have seen a bird whose parents were a siskin and serin, which per fectly resembled a variety of the canary which is called the green. I have also seen mules from a female gray canary, in which was no trace of their true parentage. The gray, the yellow, the white, the blackish, and the chestnut are the principal varieties, and it is from their combination and from their tints that we derive the numerous varieties that we now possess. Those canaries that have the upper part of the body of a dusky green or linnet-brown, and the under part the yellowish-green of the green-bird, with dark brown eyes, are the strongest, and most nearly resemble the primitive race. The yellow and white often have red eyes, and are the most tender. The chestnut are the most and hold a middle rank for strength and length of life between the two extremes. But as the plumage of the intermediate ones is a mixture of these principal colours, their value depends on the pretty and regular manner in which they are marked. The canary that is most admired amongst us now is one with the body white or yellow, the head, particularly if crested, wings, and tail, yel lowish-dun : the second in degree is of a golden yellow, with the head, wings, and tail black, or at least dusky gray. Next follow the gray or blackish, with a yellow head and collar; and the yellow, with a blackish or green tuft, which are very much valued. Aa for those that are irregularly spotted, speckled, or variegated, they are mach less sought after, and are used to pair with those of one colour, white, yellow, gray, brown-gray, and the like." The usual length of a Canary is about 5 inches, of which the tail measures about two and a quarter. The bill is about 5 lines in length, strong, sharply pointed, and inclining to white. The shanks, or feet as they are technically called, are about 8 lines long, and of a flesh colour.