CHAPTER XXXIV 



HYBRIDS RP:TWEEN TWO BRITISH BIRDS 



GoIdfinch= 

 Bullfinch 



Ix addition to the more coniinon hybrids 

 of which the Canary is one parent dealt 

 with in our two previous chapters, there are 

 the rarer liybrids produced by pairing 

 difTerent species of British l)irds together. 



Chief aniiHig these stands the Goldfinch- 

 Biillfiiuli liyhrid. beyond all comparison the 

 most beautiful exani|)le of the 

 wiiole class, and though one of 

 our oldest crosses a good speci- 

 men still ranks high as an exhil)ition bird. 

 It is almost needless to describe this lovely 

 hybrid, for our coloured illustration is a singu- 

 larly happy and life-like delineation, and shows 

 how reniarkal)ly the plumage and shape of the 

 parent finches are blended in their progeny. 

 The bird illustrated is a cock, a good specimen 

 of this cross, and its beauty is not exaggerated, 

 for in some very exceptional specimens the 

 under portion of the crimson blaze extends 

 even farther than shown, being finally lost in 

 the blending with the brown on the breast. We 

 had such a specimen in 1894, and exhibited it 

 with great success during 1895 and 1896. The 

 hens of this cross are clad in sober attire, and 

 more closely resemljle the female 

 Bullfinch in colour. In size this 

 hybrid should be as large as a good- 

 sized English Bullfinch, and some are 

 a little larger. It resembles the ISulb 

 finch in its quiet demeanour and 

 generally " old-fashioned " deport- 

 ment, showing but little of the restlessness 

 native to most Goldfinches. Its song is low, 

 very sweet, and continuous, as distinct from a 

 jerky, snatchy style of vocalisation. 



This is anotlier of our oldest hybrids, and 

 so handsome that we are surprised that more 

 are not bred. A glance at 

 I lie specimen jiortrayed on 

 our coloured plate will give 

 the reader an excellent idea of what a good 

 specimen is like. The rich vermilion tint of 

 the breast, throat, cheeks, and forehead is 

 marvellous, taking stronglj' after the Bullfinch, 

 while the back colour is the rich brown of the 

 Linnet, though without its stripes or spangles. 



The iiluslralion depicts a male, the hen being 

 much more sober in colour and lacking the 

 vermilion tint on breast and throat. These 

 hylirids are of a most kindly, free disposition, 

 full of life, but rarely wild, and the cocks are 

 excellent songsters. Their shape, like their 

 colour, is a happy blending of both parents, and 

 for exhibition purposes the larger they are the 

 better combined with good colour. 



The 



Greenfinch= 



Bullfinch. 



The Linnet 

 Bullfinch. 



This is another familiar hybrid at exhilii- 

 tions. It is a noble-looking bird, and of very 

 chubby build, as we should 

 naturally expect from its par- 

 entage. The colour is a charm- 

 ing display of rich reddish 

 orange on the breast, throat, and cheeks, a 

 faint tinge running round the eye. The back 

 is slatey grey, with a faint tinge of the Green- 

 finch-green covering the surface, becoming 

 richer towards the neck. The top of the head 

 is dark, while the rump displays a rich tint of 

 reddish orange. The wings are a curious mix- 

 ture of the Greenlinch and Bullfinch colouring 

 — barred like the Bullfinch, the bar being 



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