Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-01-18

the visitor enters the building he is greeted by
songs from the threats of hundreds of the little
musicians which are ranged around the room
in tiny wooden cages-a royal welcome indeed
when a STAR man visited the bird iancier and
found him busily engaged feeding his pets.
Are canaries as popular as ever?" asked the
reporter
The popularity OF the canary will in nv
opinion. be always the same. for the canary has
been known as a household pet since the COM
mencement of the sixteenth century. Few peo-
pie know continued the bird man, he
slapped poll parrot that was trying to open
its cage door. that the original colors of the
canary were green and gray. IL has been stated
that the canary found its origin on the islands
which bear its name and first found in
Europe on the Island of Elba, having flown
there from a wrecked ship; but know nothing
of that. Canary birds are found in a wild state
on some of the islands near the coast Of Africa,
but they are rarely brought to civilized coun-
tries owing to their inferior musical abilities"
The WILD AND THE CULTIVATED.
as it not fact" queried the scribe, "that
the birds found in a wild state are superior to
those bred in captivity, as far as singing quail
ties are concerned?' 81 am aware" rejoined
the bird man. that a great many people have
the impression that the wild birds are superior
TO the cultivated. but this is not SO. The supe-
riority Of the latter class the wild birds is
manifest IN many ways, and has been brought
about by the watchful study which has been
given them in the various countries where their
cultivation has been made a speciality. This
has brought about sort of nationality for
canaries and each breed can easily be dlstin-
ggshed from the others by the various sizes,
shapes. cOlors and songs which they distinct
lively have"
Is II true that there is more than one spe-
cies of canary
"Oh. yes" replied the bird man. There
are a great many varieties. all springing from
the German. the English. the Belgian. the
French and hybrids. But by far the best song
ster of the lot is the ST. Andreasberg. so named
from its native village away up in the Harz
mountains. One would scarcely believe" con-
tinued the fancier what an immense amount of
schooling aud training this breed OF canary uu-
dergOes before II Is ready for the market. The
notes of this species we're first obtained from
the nightingale, which placed in a room
with the young birds. 1t takes six months hard
training before bird Is perfect in song"
When Is a bird said to be perfect In song?"
asked the reporter.
'Well. that is hard to say" responded
the man OF birds. .'You see the object
to be attained Is to get the greatest
combination of difficult trills and the
odd notes, and the excellence consists in
the performance of them. / guess the length
OF the song combined with quality of voice
and continued repetition OF the varied strains
are the qualities which distinguish the perfect
bird. You would be astonished." he continued,
"how easily one can tell perfect songster; the
song Is Ike an 600leSS stream without
pereeplDle commencement or ending"
THE BELGIAN CANARY
''What is the matter with this bird?" asked
the reporter. pointing to a bird with a large
hump on its back and apparently much de-
formed.
why, that's the famous Belgian or long
breed canary. priced above all others in some
parts of the world. This bird Is bred for shape
Is OF ancient Dutch origin. and may be said to
he n r1crhh ra1 l.
shape should conform 10 a right sngle-that is
line drawn from the crown OF the head to the
tip of the shoulders should form one side, while
line from the tip OF the shoulders to the tip
OF the tail should form the other side. Truly,
the Belgian Is an acknowledging bird.
Il his is the famous family of English cana
rles. said the bird man he pointed to a
number OF birds IN the rear of the ROOM Il his
family includes more varieties than any other
known breed Ibis rs the Yorkshire" he
said. referring to a compactly built little fellow
with hne feathers and large tOp-knot, while
this" pointing to a large bird with "a beautiful
crest and feathers which seemed 20 radiate
from common center, us the Manchester
copy. Now here is a beauty" he remarked
As he moved to cage IN which a substantial
little fellow in dress OF bright gold was hop
ping around, ''and his name is the Norwich
canary. tie Is not much for song but can he
cas- ly trained. Like the Manchester coppy
his head IL ornamented with a crest There
are other birds Of this family. such as the Lon
don fancy, the gold and silver lizards and the
Scotch fancy. but have not a good stock of
them just now. The breeding of these differ
ent classes requires an immense amount OF pa
thence and skill. This the English people
have"
DIFFERENCE N TRAINING.
"ls there any difference in the way canaries
are raised!"
''Yes, the methods of the English and the
Germans are widely different and mus, neees-
aarlly be lnasmuch a. the for,par aaoL. Inc
and feather. while the latter strive for voice
culture. lCu see. the Germans follow their
taste for music and breed birds for that alone"
Are there any other varieties!' asked the
Reporter.
"Ob. yes; there's the French canary. with its
pluma-- resembling SO many feathers Just
stuck on: tine American. which claims no an
cestryi tue hyOrIaS, which are better known
as mule birds. and which are the offspring of
cross between : canary and goIdfinch or A
canary and some other bird. But / must not
forget TO mention the cayenne-fed canary. with
MS brilliant artlficially colored coat. made by
Constantly mixing cayenne pepper with Us
food This matter OF cOlOring was accidentally
discovered. IL WAS known for some time that
In the early growth the feathers. or what were
supposed 70 be feathers. were merely little
tubes III which The blood circulates: that if GER
tain things were fed the bird ITS plumare
could be changed. No one knows who il was
that at las; hit upon the right agent except
mat be guarded his secret for two years and
A'sA CfN4 tpAt b4tceALS.
now To Use The PEPPER.
suppose / wanted 70 produce one of these
birds. how should I proceed" asked the re-
porter.
The first thing to be done is to get your
pepper, and tins should be the best grade
Take a spoonful of II and mix il with one grated
hard-bOllei egg and an equal amount Of sweet
bread The feeding should commence when
the birds are about two months old and they
should be kept in a warm room. as heat is a
powerful assistant IA tnOIlting cauaries. You
Will be surprised and gratifcd in short time
10 witness the transformation"
Is there any rule" ventured the scribe, s'by
which one can distinguish male from a fe-
m.le<"
Il don't know that there is. OF course. il
your bird sings freely yol NAV be certain il is
male. Tor while n i Tle that n female oc-
easlonally sings. the notes are short and dis
connected IL requires practice aud the con-
equent handling OF great number OF birds
10 become an expert m the selections
The principal points in judging" said the
bird man. az be opened the door OF a neg hbor-
ing cage and d-ftly caught bird. are the size
Of its head and color. Now. the head of the
male is broader than that OF the female and
Halter on the crown. while female birds are
slways very light ia color. There Is n great
knsek in catching and holding a bird when
Examination for any cuuse Is desired. and pcr-
l.. 4 -.