Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/160

CANARY. 13<t CANARY ISLANDS. part from sonic cliaraoliTistic of the breed which is specially notable. There are a large number of varieties, of which the following are the most important. To begin with the British breeds, the Norwich canary is famous for the beauty of its pliuuage, but not for its great powers of song. It is an inferior singer eom- parea to other breeds, especially some of the Harz Mountain birds. The Norwich canary is often crested, a pleasing addition to its appear- ance. The JIancliester canaries are also notable, particularly the Manchester coppy, which is the giant of canaries, sometimes reaching a length of 8 inches. They are not, however, remarkable songsters. Among the more curious breeds are the Yorkshire Don and Scotch I'ancy, which are very slender, with long neck, trunk, and tail, gracefully curved, so that in extreme examples the bird is almost a half-circle. Among the hand- somest breeds are the gold and silver 'sjiangled' canaries, which, as their names im|)ly, are not uniformly colored, but have a comparatively dull ground color, spangled with very bright or very pale feathers. These breeds are more valu- able as ornaments than as musicians. The Bel- gian canaries are also bred especially for appear- ance, and some of them are almost monstrosi- ties. The most notable of these is the variety kno^n as 'humped-backs,' which have a small head, ery short neck and broad shotilders, a combination that gives a 'eiy odd ai)|)earance. They are usually yellow, but the color is a sec- ondary matter. The Harz Mountain canaries are the most famous of all, and are especially noted for their powers of song. The color is regarded as of much less importance, and conse- quently they vary much from bright green to clear yellow. The best of all singers are the Saint Andreasberg canaries, and the choicest of these command a large price. Individual birds, with exceptional ability as singers, are used as instructors for young birds, and are known as 'campaninis.' There are two other breeds of canaries not confined to any special locality, but Avhieh take their names from their color. The most interesting of these are the natural cinna- mons, which are deep broivnish yellow or red- dish, and are often very beautiful. The others are known as cayennes, and are reddish, a color prodiced by judicious feeding of red pepper to the growing i)irds. They are sometimes nearly scarlet, and often handsome birds. Init breeders of cinnamons regard them as an alxmiination. The price of a canary depends upon its ap- proach to the ideal bird of its breed, but the females are usually the cheaper. From .'f!l to $73 is the range of" value for the great majority of canaries, but exceptional individuals may bring as high as .$1.50. The highest prices are paid for the Saint Andreasberg campaninis. Canaries are often crossed, by fanciers, with other finches, and the h^'brids thus prodiiced are sometimes valuable as cage-birds, either for ap- pearance or peculiar qualities of song. These hybrids are called 'nuiles," and are usu- ally the result of mating other cock birds with ben canaries, on account of the difficulty of persuading female linnets, goldfinches, etc., to sit on their eggs in captivity. Canaries are the easiest of cage-birds to care for. as almost the only essentials are cleanliness, food, and water. The cage and especially the food and water vessels should be ke])t scrupu- lously clean. A bath should be provided at least once a week, and occasional freedom from the cage in a closed room is a real benefit to the bird. Care should be taken not to expose the bird to cold draughts, hence it is usually unwise to hang the cage near windows during wintry weather. The princii)al articles of food should be canary-grass seed, hemp-seed, and rape, but green leaves, such as chiekweed, are necessary to maintain perfect health. Sugar is also great- ly enjoyed by canaries, and is a proper food in small quantities; but acids, such as fresh apple, should be avoided. Lime is essential to the bird's welfare, and is best provided in the form of cuttle-lish bone. The nails are apt to grow so long, in canaries kept in small cages, that they should be cut occasionally to prevent theip from becoming troublesome to the bird, l-'or further inftu-mation in reference to the care of canaries and their breeding, consult: Wallace, The Canary Book (London, 1893) ; Holden, Canaries and Cage-birds (New York, 1883), and Belts, The Plcasiirahle Art of Breediny Pet Canaries (Ijondon, 1897). See Cage- Birds, and Plate of CAXAR1E.S. CANARY-GRASS {Plialaris canariensis) . An annual grass of which the seed is much ii.sed, under the name canary-.seed, as food for cage- birds, and which is, on that account, cultivated to some extent in the south of Europe, and in certain districts of Germany and England. It is a native of the Canary Islands, the south of Europe, north of Africa, and Asia. It has been introduced and has become naturalized in Eng- land and various parts of the United States. It attains a height of 2 or 3 feet, and has a crowded, egg-shaped, spike-like panicle, from an inch to almost 2 inches long. A fine flour is prepared from canary-seed, which is employed as glue or sizing in fine cotton-weaving, and for the finish- ing of silken stuflfs. The groats and flour of this small kind of grain are also used in the Canary Islands, in Barbarv, and in Italy, as food, the ilour being made into bread, which is very nu- tritious and pleasant. Other closely allied spe- cies of Phalaris produce a similar grain, but are inferior in productiveijess and quality. Keed canary-grass (Phalaris arundinaeea) is very com- mon on the banks of lakes and rivers, and in other wet places in Great Britain, througliout southern and central Europe, and in the United States. It differs very much in appearance from canary-grass, having a large, spreading panicle, generally of a reddish color, and the glumes are winged at the keel. It is a somcwiiat ici'd-like grass, 4 to feet high, with creeping roots, which help to secure river-banks, and yields a great bulk of haj', but has lioen very generally despised as a coarse grass. However, it is said to be very nutriticms, and is readily eaten by both horses and cattle when cut early. A variety with curiously white-striped leaves is well known in gardens as ribbon grass. Southern canary- grass (Phalaris Caroliniana) , and its variety, .• gusta, range from South Carolina to Floriila, and westward through Texas to (^ilifornia and (>reg(m. The variety is called Apache timothy, from the resemblance the head bears to (hat of timothy. It is valued for forage on account of its remaining green throughout most of the win- ter. For illustration, see Plate of Camf.i.i.tas. CANARY ISLANDS, or CANA'RIES (Lat. Caiiii/ia, from imiis. dog. perhaps l>ccause of the