, 1890-11-27
ABOUT CANARY BIRDS
Stories About Some Remarx.
able Songste rs.
GERMAN SINGERS ARE THE BEST
Some That Are Taught to Sin,
Opera Music. Including
False Notes.
New York Herald 4

The canary is one of the inost com.
mon of household pets, yet few hoo.
pie know just how to take care y,
them.
As n general rule, when q canarv
is suffering from II cold, or what /,
more common among these delica,s
birds, overheated blood, most house.
wives try what may be termed the
faith cure, and leave the bird to pot
well of its own accord.
Dealers say that canary IL ina,
like n human being as regards sick
ness, and that for most of its ills.
some remedy Is necessary II tbN
birds life is to be saved. ~
The canary is u delicately bred
bird, and never becomes hardy. Tn,
rate of mortality among them Is verV
high, for so many are left when sic.
to get along as best they can, thai
II takes an annual importation Of
200, 900 to supply the demand In the
United States.
The best canarles imported hen
are the kind known in tho trade A,
No. German. This variety is tbe
pick of the German product. They
bring as high "a $50 u dozen whole.
sale, and are rctailcd at from $40 Ia
Sl2 each, though some of them NAV
be had for less,
The great breeding place of tho
German canary Is the city ofSt.
Anderasberg. This place is situated
in the highest inhabited portion Of
the Harz mountains, and its popu.
lation is 10000 IL IL said that every
person In the town Is a canary
breeder, and that no other industry
Is practiced there.
Every street is lined with little
shops filed with birds of oil ages,
and the noise of their singing is at
times deaiening. 1t is estimated
that 10000 birds are shipped to
New York alone from this mount.
ain city. Very few come to other
ports in this country, for the
trade centers here, and all inland
dealers get their supplies from New
York houses.
The local dealers go to the whole.
sale house, and by waiting around
for an hour or tive are able to pick
out all the best singers of n consgn.
ment, and the man who has to send
from distance for his stock takes
the leavings. a local bird man
says that in the West the people do
not know what singer II. This,
of coIrse, Is an exaggeration, but 1t
is fact that the New York public
have the best chance to get the good
vocalists. So common have become
the complaints among outside
dealers of the poor birds sent them,
that some of the retailers have
drummed up n trade to whom they
send their fine birds at an advance
of 80 on n dozen.
The German canary IL usually
gray and yellow. There is a bright
yellow canary on the market which
il bred in Norwich, England.
These birds are fancied by many on
account of their brilliant plumage.
They are not nearly so fine singers
as the Germans rs II general thing,
but they bring about the same
price.
There Is no limit, scarcely, to a
canary's capacity of learning new
songs ifa proper method of teach.
ing Is employed. A man who has
tried 1t claims that canary can be
taught an opera, or AT least part oil
one. 1t is necessary that peculiar
note or whistle of the bird shall he
duplicated. Ii II man can initiate
this ho can, with care aud time,
teach canary to sing a bar oil
music.
There are whistles made which ala
most exactly reproduce the canary's
note, aud combinations of notes
blown on them will in time be
menorized by the bird. He may
not be able to repeat them on de-
mand, but IL very certain that IL re.
tains the song, for he will pipe 1t az
intervals, and if not sick at any
time long enough tn forget his new
call he Will always include 1t In MS
repertoire.
An uptown dealer who TOOK
u fancy To a certain bird In his
stock succeeded after n time IN
teaching 1t several pretty strains
from operas. He brings ou1
this bird when customers en-
large on the singing qunii.
ties of canaries, and as he has taught
1t several airs, or fragments o.
them, IL Is pretty safe to sing
least one of them for the visitors.
This bird helps his master's sa'o
wonderfully. One air that he sang
recently was slightly blemished py
u flat note. When the visitor com,
mented on this the dealer cialmeu
that the note was correct, and WINS
tied the strain himself TO prove II.
1t was then seen that the fault whs
due to the teachers imperlee.
knowledge of the music, and Io
bird had simply reproduced II as n'
hud always heard II. D..
Instances of extreme affection ios
their owner on the part OF canail.o
are not wanting. All of these plrus
soon grow to know the person who WV
feeds them, and they generally u,s
trust members of the family WV
are not home or about the room
great deal.
: An instance of the affection OF
canary for its mistress Is related "
"a gentleman who owned several U.