BRITISH FINCH AND CANARY HYBRIDS 



345 



Greenfinch= 

 Canary, 



found in the shape of decided eye-maiks. 

 Indeed, we do not rememljer liaving met witli 

 more tlian a])Out two or three " four-marked '' 

 Linnet Hyljrids. Several two-pointed birds have 

 to our knowledge l)een bred — that is, marked 

 both eyes or l)oth wings ; liul there appears 

 much more difhculty in transmitting good 

 marking to tlie Liimet HylH'id llian 

 to its Goldfinch confrere. 



We may add that most of the 

 Variegated Linnet Mules are Buffs ; 

 a few Yellows have appeared, but the 

 colour is not sufficiently striking to 

 render it valuable except on account 

 of its rarity. Improvements will pro- 

 bably be made in the colour of the 

 Clear and Marked Hybrids of this 

 cross. The feather of both Yellow 

 and Buff is very soft and silky, and, 

 like that of most Finch Hyl)rids, very 

 compact. Good examples of a Ticked 

 BufI and a Yellow Dark Linnet-Canary 

 are shown on our Coloured Plates, of a 

 two-pointed on this page, and a Dark 

 on p. 351. 



This HylH'id lias now become very 

 poi)ular. The type of bird recognised is 

 of chubljy build, like 

 its sire, l)ut a little 

 longer, and is such as 

 we should expect to produce from a 

 Greenfinch cock and Norwich type hen. 

 The cocks are free songsters, though 

 their notes are rather harsher than 

 those of the Goldfincli or Linnet 

 Hybrids. Size, comljined with good colour 

 and shape, are required ; and close-fitting feather, 

 with a nice silky-like sheen over its surface, 

 adds greatly to the merit of an exhibition 

 specimen. Highest in this cross ranks a Clear 

 Yellow, of which we are not aware that one 

 has as yet been produced, although at least 

 three Clear Buffs, and possibly more, have been 

 reared, as well as several Lightly-marked, 

 some of which have been especially good 

 Yellows. It is quite possilile that a Clear 

 Yellow may soon be produced, for remarkable 

 progress has recently been made in breeding 

 Lightly-marked and Clear birds of this cross. 

 The colour of the Dark Self is a brilliant edition 

 of the Finch, in which its dusky green plumage 

 is wonderfully brightened and made very 

 transparent, especially in the natural develop- 

 ment of the yellow on the wings, which main- 

 tains a character so distinctive, even in the 

 Clear birds of the cross, as to indicate the 

 parentage at a glance, though there are always 

 other characteristics, such as formation of beak, 

 head, tail, etc. The yellow on the wings, and 

 colour generally, is intensified by colour feeding. 

 44 



Of late years important shows have given 

 a separate class for Dark Greenfinch-Canaries 

 (see illustration on p. 351), leaving Lightly- 

 marked and Clear specimens to compete with 

 other crosses. 



The Siskin being much smaller than the 

 Finches already dealt with, the hybrid resulting 



The SisKin= 

 Canary. 



LINNET-CANARY. 



from its cross with tlie Canary, whilst losing in 

 size, is still a perky, bright little bird, whose 

 confiding ways are very attrac- 

 tive. In appearance it gener- 

 ally resembles an enlarged and 

 brilliantly feathered example of its sire. We 

 have seen a few pied to the extent of light 

 feathers in the wings and tail, and in rare 

 instances, the pied form of plumage has ex- 

 tended in an irregular way to the body, and 

 about twenty years ago we bred one half clear, 

 a Yellow. 



During the last few years marked strides 

 have been made in the production of almost 

 Clear birds of this cross. There is no reason 

 why a more regular form of marking, and also 

 Clear birds, should not occur with this and the 

 last-mentioned Hybrid if sufricient numbers 

 were bred to increase the possible chances. 

 The highest standard of perfection in this 

 Hybrid, as in those already descrijjcd, is a 

 Clear Yellow, and this has been attained in a 

 specimen owned by Dr. Galloway, illustrated on 

 p. 35 — would that we could have a few more to 



