Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1899-05-16
AMERICAN CANARIES.
Efforts of Fanciers to Adapt Birds tc
the Climate.
American winters Are Too Severe on
the Sweet singers-Many birds
Are Imported from Ger
many.


have an American rival whose devel-
opment is the result Of peculiar condi-
tions here. Something in this climate
seems TO affect the voices Of the Tyro-
lean singers. Even the famous Cam
panini and the st. Andreasberg can
aries, which are trained to perfection
abroad, are unable to transmit their
great singing powers to their offspring.
The American winters seem to affect
their voices so that the old birds often
lose their sweetest qualities. Some
climatic change chills and destroys the
foreign singers, that soon discourages
them in their best efforts.
eve have TO import new birds every
year to keep up the strain" said an
uptown dealer in canaries, "and this,
Of course, is expensive and destructive
10 our best interests. We want to raise
a breed of canaries in this country to
take the place of the Alpine singers.
Breeders have been working toward
this end for years, and now we have
succeeded. Tho new breed of Ameri-
can canaries comes from Milwaukee.
The climate around Milwaukee may
not be the same as that of the Hartz
mountains, the great home Of the can
airy, but it has some peculiar quality
that is beneficial to the birds. In this
respect at least it resembles the home
of the imported songsters. This has
been discovered by breeders and fan
ciers after years of careful expert
ment. The result is that the best
strains of eanaries have been bred
around Milwaukee for years, aud we
can announce that we have the new
American breed of canaries. They are
really the best strain of Hartz noun.
tain canaries imported here and
crossed with some of the harder Eng.
fish breeds They have been reared
in Milwaukee for several years. and
they represent type of canary that is
much harder than any imported from
abroad.
First they have the same general
appearance of the best German cana
ries with the delicate coloring Of their
feathers accumulated and improved.
Second, they have all the peculiar yod-
ling quality in their voices that has
made the imported singers famous.
And third, they have a hardness of
body that enables them to pass our
winters without suffering, and their
voices never become affected on the
seacoast by the strong air. Itisawell-
known fact among bird fanciers that
the voices Of canaries are affected by
our strong, salty seaboard air inst as
many human singers Throat troubles
are as common among canaries as
among men and women Tine and
again we have TO send our bestcauaries
to the mountains or inland districts
TO recover from throat troubles. 1t is
far more difficult 10 keep good canary
singers in New York than in Denver
or the Adirondaels. 1t has been the
purpose Of the breeders to rear
up a race Of canaries that would
have voices suited 10 our climate,
and this they have succeeded in
doing. The new American breed of
canaries is as perfect in its way as
are the best imported German birds
"The female birds are carefully
trained in voice in cages in dark rooms
unul their singing is perfect lhert
are many breeding establishments
around Milwaukee where the training
OF the voices is carried on with a.
much skill as abroad The young
canaries are kept away from all cor
ruptiug influences. They are not al
lowed TO hear the voice Of any canary
that has not been carefully developed
and trained. When very young the,
are taken to the music room, wher,
! with southern exposure the brigh
sunlight tempts them to express theii
feelings in song. There is a small birt
p organ which seDds forth the strains
so softened that they sound very mucl
4 like the first pipings Of bird. It i
s a sort of whistle and warhle. The bird
early begin to initiate and follow thi
b music. and they soon learn to pip
2, correctly. Germans naturally conduc
d most Of the bird establishments. an,
e many Of them were in the business il
the fatherlaud. ~. Y. Sun.