The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1886-01-26
NalUallall V9aZEIIR.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1855.
Bird. and AIlieatoFs and Their Prices


The season for the sale of songbirds
md other fancy birds is Just beginning"
sand bird fancier. We have to keep a
vei-v large stock on hand in order to be
ready for the fall trade. OF course we do
Far more business in canaries than in all
the other birds put together They range
in price from the cheap German canary at
- 50. and the Hartz Mountain bird at
- so to the fine Andreasburg canaries at
from 81 80 to $40 each. These last are of
& peculiar breed. which Is raised only in
Andreasburg. They are very hardy, and
are the best singers in the world. They
are sold only once year at bird market
held IN December, and at other times 1t
would be almost impossible to procure
one. They are bred in the spring and are
kept until winter before they are sold, in
order that they may be taught to sing
well Tunes are taught to them by grind
ing an organ near them.
These gray backed birds are gold and
silver spanCled lizards or English cana
ries They are hardy bird, and are
bred IL Norwich and Manchester. They
sing very sweetly.
The ordinary American robin sells for
81 He Is not much of singer, but some
people like TO hive him about the house
This red-hreasted English robin, not much
larger than canary, is worth S. A
mocking bird from Virginia Is worth $40
when III good voice, and the imported
nightingale is worth SIS. English or
German blackbirds or thrushes are worth
s. each.
Here is a little gray bird that doesn't
look very valuable, but his price Is SIS.
He Is bullfnch, and he can sing Polly
Perkins"
Mr.. Rube ducked his head in little mods
from side to side before the bird, and said
very softly. Come. Hans" aud whistled
a few notes. Hans ruffied up his feathers
and sang Polly Perkins very sweetly.
An untaugh bullfnch,n said Mr.. Ruhe,
d" Is only worth 81 50. Ii takes a month
10 tram one, and It Is necessary that the
bird should be exceedingly tame 1t Is
taken from its nest in February. as soon
as If Is able to eat, and is kept separate
from other birds The teacher sings to
II every day for three or four months IN
I'll II learns the tune.
Here Is q cage Of African and Austria
Ian finches They are named according
to the coloring of their feathers. There
are black head and white head nuns. nut
megs. tigers. and cut-throats The latter
are so called from the crimson band under
the throat Tigers are worth 81. and the
others > par These Spanish finches
from Cuba bring s. pair. German sky
larks sell for 81 Paroguets bring 81, $40
and SIS each. the last being the very rare
Madagascar variety. Australian shell
paroquets are - d pair They are these
little green birds, and they become very
tame.
"Cockatoos vary according to their abil-
tiles. This yellow-crested fellow Is worth
SS5. as be Is a good talker.'
Mr.. Ruhe tapped on the cage and said
e Hello, cockatoo." Hello yourself" re-
piled the bird
This rosehead Molucca bird Is worth
SIS. 1t doesn't talk. Parrots vary &C
cording to their scarcity and their ability
10 talk. good takers being worth from $50
upward. Other parrots are: Blae ANA
zon, SO; Cuban. s.: Maracaibo, IS :
common Amazon. So double yellowhead,
SIS, and gray parrot. SIS.
This Is hardly bird, said Mr. Rube,
as he tapped a tank containing a good
sized alligator That fellow Is from
Florida, and we have q demand for them
from geological gardens in Europe. Sala-
bic ones are from five TO ten feet in length,
and the price Is from 81 80 to s. foot,
the longest being worth the most. l sell
two or three hundred year.-N. J. Sun.