BIRD NEWS 



Judged by the visions of expectancy, 

 tlie" first sight of Niagara is equally 

 unimpressive. But it is clear that a 

 life-long familiarity with the songs of 

 American birds tends to instil a cer- 

 tain distaste for those qualities in 

 bird music which to English ears 

 seem the highest. Mr. Chapman, I 

 may add, is not the only American 

 naturalist who has been somewhat 

 disappointed with British bird music. 

 Burroughs confessed to a similar 

 feeling. 



BREEDING MILES. 



There is no part of the fancy more 

 interesting than that of raising mules 

 or hybrids. This is a wide field and 

 not by any means fully explored. The 

 fancier generally accepts as "mules" 

 a cross between some finch and a 

 canary. Nearly all of the commort 

 finches, except perhaps the chaffinch 

 and bramble finch, we have at some 

 time or other crossed with a canary. 

 The gold finch is tlie most frequent 

 sire. The goldie is an obliging fel- 

 low, more especially if hand-bred. A 

 cage-moulted bird is steadier than a 

 unmoulted specimen. No use to ex- 

 pect mules, if the goldie is not in 

 form, well over the moult and well 

 in song. We are not prepared to 

 admit that one variety of goldfinch 

 whethter a "white-legged" a "pea- 

 throat," "Cheverells," "pear-tree- 

 goldies" has any special virtues over 

 another. A light-colored finch with 

 plenty of white-hind face and clean 

 brilliant blaze gets our preference 

 over the smutty, dingy specimen. 

 The quality in the mule comes 

 through the hen, so you want size, 

 color and style in the canary. Better 

 the type of canary, better the chance 

 of a good cross. Don't forget, if 

 you are lucky enough to possess or to 

 obtain a hen which has the habit of 

 breeding pied mules, don't forget to 



keep her, for such a bird is in- 

 valuable and any season may present 

 you with a light, evenly marked hy- 

 brid. Size is important in the hen; 

 thus it is that crest-bred canaries 

 make good stock birds for the would- 

 be mule breeder. You will not in- 

 frequently obtain buff mules from 

 yellow hens, but don't anticipate get- 

 ting yellow mules from buff can- 

 aries. The so-called "sib" or inbred 

 canaries undoubtedly give a pre-dis- 

 position towards "light" mules, when 

 the color line is out-bred. If you 

 want to breed "sib" hens, better get 

 in touch with some established 

 "strain" and experiment until you get 

 what, you want; even if you grow 

 grey in the pi'ocess, remember, "there 

 are others" of like experience. If 

 you succeeded in producing a clear, 

 light goldfinch mule, you are to be 

 envied. No mule is so handsome. 

 The clear canary body, the long, 

 snaky head, the imperial poise, the 

 slight blaze on the face and the 

 yellow bar on the flights and tail, 

 make a bird worth a ransom. Next 

 maybe classed the evenly marked 

 specimens, the two, four and six- 

 marked birds; i. e., the bird marked 

 on eyes, wings and tail. All these 

 birds, for exhibition, must be color 

 fed. 



In starting breeding, remember the 

 Goldfinch is a late breeder, in any 

 time from May to September Master 

 Goldie may a-wooing go, but when 

 he does so he loses no time and de- 

 clares his intentions right off. If 

 you have been running the finches all 

 winter with the canary hens, sooner 

 or later in the season, the cocks will 

 get "spunky." Separate them, put- 

 ting one goldie to two hen canaries. 

 If you see signs of affinity between 

 any "couples" follow it up and giv^ 

 them every opportunity to make 

 good. If you are not sure of the 

 hen, as a mother, it is not a bad 



