THE CANARY. 297

at pleasure; and therefore it contributes in a much greater
degree to the comforts of society. It sings at all seasons,
cheers us in the dullest weather, and adds to our happiness,
by amusing the young, and delighting the recluse, charming
the tediousness of the cloister, and gladdening the soul of
the innocent and captive.”

The Tame ‘The canary is easily tamed, and has been taught

Cansry. to perform many little tricks, indeed groups of
them have been trained to act little plays, firing cannons and
driving coaches. The canary shows a humane disposition,
has been known to foster the young of other birds, to make
friends with other pets, even cats; to show great affection for
its master and to die of grief on the loss of its mate. Dr.
Darwin tells of “a canary bird which always fainted away
when its cage was cleaned. Having desired to see the
experiment,” says Dr. Darwin, “the cage was taken from the
ceiling, and the bottom drawn out. The bird began to tremble,
and turned quite white about the root of the bill; he then
opened his mouth as if for breath, and respired quickly ;
stood up straighter on his perch, hung his wing, spread his
tail, closed his eyes, and appeared quite stiff for half an hour,
till at length, with trembling and deep respirations, he came
gradually to himself.”

The The Crossbill must be mentioned for the sake

Grossbill of the peculiarity indicated by its name. The
points of the beak instead of being straight and meeting in
a common point, “curve to the right and left and always in
opposite directions.” They therefore cross each other and
present a unique appearance. It is found in the North of
Europe, and in the great pine forests of Germany.

The There are several kinds of Bunting; the Eng- |

Bunting. lish Bunting common to wayside hedges, and
familiar from its habit of flitting in front of the traveller, and
the Snow Bunting of the northern regions, which turns white
on the approach of snow.