The record-union., 1897-09-24
SOURCE OF OUR CANARIEs.
In Milwaukee, and Not in the
Hartz Mountains.

Milwaukee supplies the United States
with the bulk of the Hartz Mountain
canaries, and there is no great crime
in the deception, for the Milwaukee
bird is really an Improvement on the
imported article, having just as fine
voice and being much harder. Ex-
perience has shown that the imported
singer loses the power of transmitting
his voice to the young after passing
through an American winter. This IS
the case, also, it is said, with the Ty-
rolean singers who come to this coun-
try, their voices losing the peculiar
yodling quality when they have been
here a year. The native canary Is
harder than the imported ones, and
with proper training is every bit as
good q singer.
Before they are mated the hen birds
are kept in separate cages IN the music
room, carefully fed and made to listen
to the music of the singers and the
machine used in training their voices.
In this way the hen is enabled to trans
nit the best musical quality to its or
spring. The music-room is a large one
with a south exposure and is kept
with the same scrupulous neatness as
the breeding-room In the corner OF
this room is the bird organ, and with 1t
the little birds are given their vocal
training. When the machine is started
the notes emitted are wonderfully like
the song of the untutored canary
These notes are known to bird trainers
by the term pfeiffen. Gradually the
whistle strikes on a different line. 1t
r1faiffQn and
is called a klingel role. A higher
step still is called the klingel, and
still higher step hohl klingel. Lastly
comes what is called hohl rollen. ana
bird whose voice has been developed
up to that point is worth $50 in the
market any day
There are innumerable small cages
made of wood and wire, in this ROOM
and also two or three large cages IN
which a number of birds are placed
together Near the bird organ is Wnat
appears to be an ordinary cupboard.
The two front doors have an orna-
mental opening cut in them, quite SIM
liar to the openings in the body OF the
violin. Examination shows that the
affair is really built on the principle or
a violin, the front covers serving as
sounding boards. When the BIRDS
have their voices trained they are
placed in this dark cupboard and also
in some smaller ones, constructed SO
as to just take in one OF the httle
wooden cages each. Kept thus IN the
dark they have nothing to distract
their attention from the notes OF the
bird organ, and so long hours are
spent by the little pupils in piping UP
their little voices to the lead OF the
mechanical teacher. When their edu-
cation has been completed in the Ut
cation has been completed they are
shipped in the little cages to the New
York, Cincinnati and Chicago markets.
Purchasers suppose that when tney
buy a bird in one of these little cages
it is a guarantee that they have peeh
imported. Not so, however. Inc
cages are made in Milwaukee, even 10
the little earthenware drinking jug
that is fastened within And just mere
word of advice to buyers of canar1es-
The male birds are Of course, the sing
ers, and it is important to be able 10
tell the male from the female. Inc le-
male has a white shade or Summer
across the feathers on the top OF the
head. The eye of the female, also, Is
surrounded by a little white rim oi
flesh, easily detected by the fancler.-
Milwaukee Sentinel