New-York tribune., 1907-11-09
PARIS CANARY SHOW.
Curious Collection Seen in the
PalaiS Royal.
Paris, October %


e;sty Of Canary Breeders exhibited a curious
.ollecfior OF Dutch canaries TO the bird loving
,ssidents Of the capital. AS there is scarcely a
temUy in the city. poor or rich. without a
eaqefui Of the little yellow songsters the sbov
which vas only open for three hours proved ex-
eeedingly attractive, and the public thronged
the handsome salon Of one of the many res
,aurants in the vast buildings Of the magnifi-
cent PaIais Royal, overlooking the seventeenth
century gardens The murmur of many voices
and the interest they aroused apparently
nleased the curious little bundles of feathers
,n the rows OF cages. and the room was filed
with hushed but sweet and continuous twit-
ter.
The birds exhibited proved TO bear little like
ness TO the sleek. neat figured little bird which
the 'bons bourgeois Of Paris are IN the habit
Of cultivating. These Dutch prize birds had
long ungainly forms. with feathers growing in
every possible direction Some had a kind Of
parting down the right side, from which the
feathers sprang TO left and right, lying round
the body Of the bird instead Of along It, In
others, there were tufts and wreaths growing
backward from the breast, covering the folded
wings with long outstanding feathers. 1t looked
Ike a collection of freak birds, ragged tousled
unpreened and unkempt looking. long of neck
and long Of leg. In coloring. they were varied
There were deep golden. buttercup yellow BIRDS
With crests and tufts of white and there were
white birds with crests and tufts of yellow. and
others, again, had marking Of green. All the
birds shown had been reared in the city, some
by breeders. some by private citizens.
There are probably more canaries bred yearly
in Paris for pleasure than in any other city in
the world. Every bakers shop has a goodly
pile Of the pale. puffy rings of bread made ex-
eor vic nd thara of
old men who daily push rickety perambulators
losded with chickweed through the streets.
calling IN q quavering voice plaintive little
ditty inviting the public to purchase 'mouron"
for their little birds; and by the end OF the day
they generally manage TO dispose OF their little
leads.
A death IN the cage is followed by visit to
the bird market, which is held every Sunday
afternoon on the picturesque island of the Cite.
Canaries are more in demand than any other
kind Of bird, and may be had at all prices
There IS the commoner variety to be had for
90 or so cents-not guaranteed songster, Of
course, but considered likely to turn out salts
factory. There are also trained singers to be
had for few louis, birds which have been care
fully educated under a professor" and which
are fine executants OF all canary music. The
enrofessor'' himself Is a costly bird, and breed
erg and trainers are ever on the lookout for a
fresh one. He is q bird which has not only
fine note but a great variety and length OF song
The education Of a promising young cock con-
sists Of being shut up in cage with 'profes-
sor" in an isolated room for three months. until
he successfully initiates the singing Of his mas
fer Such trained and skilled songsters are out
of reach OF any but the well-to-do. and for one
Of them there are scores Of commoner pirds
ola n Paris.
Paris breeders purchase their finest singers
4rorn Germany, and several millions of canaries
are annually imported into the capital from that
country. Mannheim being the centre Of the trade
For breeding purposes however, Madagascar
nov a French possession, furnishes fine BIRD
in handsome green color whose blood may ne
traced in many OF these crossbred specimens
The Dutch canarles at their annual show can
seldom be induced to give their admirers taste
OF their full musical powers. They t"itter on
,o,p low note. but break off just as they seem
IN be on the eve Of opening their throats and
bursting into the rich, strong song OF whlch
they are capable. They are, however seldom
such sweet singers as the Mannheim variety,
and are more interesting by the eccentriclty OF
their pIumage than by their vocal powers They
succeeded in bringing TO the show every Difd
fancier Of Paris, with his womenkind, and-the
exhibition being entlreiy Iree-Als CInluIeh aiSO'
ali exhibiting the marked characteristics OF the
trade The bird fancier, male or female, inva-
riabIy dresses in black. and, for some reason or
other is generally a Breton. Their short. square
figures and fat oddly wrinkled faces, with often
quantity distorted features, marked them out
from their fellow men as distinctly as did the
freakish plumage Of the birds on view distin-
gulsh them from the ordinary canary.
c. l. 3.
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