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HINTS ON HYBRID BREEDING FOR 

 BEGINNERS. 



There is no hobby so fascinating as hybrid breeding. 

 One is always on the look out for plums, which some- 

 times arrive^ but much more often do not. But when 

 success is finally achieved, all the disappointments are 

 forgotten, or remembered with pleasure as stepphig 

 stones, for experience is nearly everything in breeding 

 hybrids. 



In my opinion, to breed hybrids successfully three 

 essentials are needed, viz., out-door aviaries, proved 

 feeding Canaries, and the invigorating country air. 

 Now, the size of the aviaries must depend on the 

 room available; but if it is possible I advise one 

 long aviary being built, with movable wire divisions, 

 divfding it into six aviaries of about six feet square;, 

 then at pleasure the wire partitions can be removed 

 and the aviaries altered to any desired size. Build 

 the aviary facing south or south-west, with a wall 

 or hedge to protect it from the east wind, which is 

 very trying to the birds in the winter time : and nobody 

 can expect birds which have looked wretched and ruffled 

 all the winter to breed when spring arrives. 



The aviaries built, let us make up our minds not to 

 put more than one pair of birds in each aviary ; if we do 

 this success will be more certain, and disappointments 

 fewer ; although I have found that Greenfinch hens will 

 nest within a few feet of each other, and cause no 

 trouble, when they are quite used to being together, but 

 not the first year they are put in. 



But before putting the birds in we must prepare the 

 aviaries for them, and the way in which this is done is very 

 important. According to the birds for which the aviary is 

 intended, plant trees and shrubs, viz. : apple, pear, or 

 thorn trees for Bullfinches ; fir trees for Siskins ; gorse 

 for Linnets ; gorse or a large birch-broom (the same as 

 the gardeners use, only about four times as large) for 

 Greenfinches ; and so on all through the list of British 



