Hybrid Fringillidce.



35i



certain others belonging to the family Fringillidae have, upon

proper investigation, proved fallacious. In taking a retrospective

view of the situation and, at the same time, omitting all doubtful

instances, Serinus canarius (dom. var.) has produced hybrids

when paired to males of the following species : — Serhius

hortillanus ; S. leucopygius ; S. icterus; S. sulphuratus ; S. flavi-

venttis ; S. cauicol/is ; Alario alario ; Chrysomilris spinus ; C.

tristis; C. ic/erica; C. cucullata; Caiduelis elegans; Cannabina

cannabina ; C. flavirostris ; C. rufescens; Carpodacus purpureus ;

Ligurinus chloris. Other members of the “Serin” group have

been successfully interbred both with close and slightly removed

relatives, and hybrids have resulted from crosses which for con¬

venience sake I will class as “Siskin” and “Serin” Hybrids,

viz:—


x Serhius leucopygius ?


x . ,, icterus ,,


x Carduelis elegans ,,


x Alario alario ,,


x S. sulphuratus or flaviventris ,,


x C. spinus ,,


x S. leucopygius ,,


x Cannabina flavi)osttis ,,


x Cardullis elegans ,,


x S. canicollis ,,


x C. spinus ,,


x C. cannabina ,,


x Ligurinus chloris ,,


I11 the foregoing, and in some other cases, hybrids can and

have been produced by reversing the position of the sexes ; but as

■far as one can gather, males of Pyrrhula europcea have proved

useless as fertilizing agents. Whether any experiments have been

conducted in the direction of pairing a male of this kind to a hen

of P. griseiventris , I do not know. Such an attempt might prove

an exception to the rule; it is, however, sufficient to remark that

all Bullfinch crosses at present bred have been produced by

mating a hen of this species to a male of some congener.

The only authentic and successful unions that I am able to record

are as under :—



Serinus icterus

„ ,, hortulanus


,, ,, icterus


,, ,, canicollis


,, ChrysomiIris spinus

,, ,, it erica


,, Cannabina cannabina

,, CJirysomi/ris spinus


n » y *9


„ ,, tolta


,, Cannabina rufescens

,, C. spinus


55 55



