26 HOW TO RAISE HANDSOME BIRDS. 



as being a cross between a female bulfinch and a 

 male canary ; in form and plumage it somewhat 

 resembles both parents, and is a delightful songster, 

 not so loud as the canary, but with notes more soft 

 and mellow. This is a very rare bird, it being diffi- 

 cult to breed and rear such. 



To PRODUCE A HANDSOME YELLOW BiRD, your male 

 should be a jonquil, which is a deep yellow bird with 

 almost an orange crown ; and the female a mealy 

 bird, which is a whitish yellow, and has the appear- 

 ance of being frosted or powdered all over. A clear 

 yellow male and a mealy female will usually produce 

 "Sl. pure yellow bird ; while a clear yellow male mated 

 with a gray or green female will usually produce a 

 very handsome mottled bird. A deep yellow or 

 orange-colored male with a very dark-green female 

 often produces the highly prized cinnamon bird. 



After mating your birds, a period of only seven to 

 eight days elapses before the female commences 

 to lay ; and she will lay from four to seven eggs, 

 one each day, at about the same hour, and sit upon 

 them for thirteen days, when the operation of 

 hatching commences. 



Dealers in birds are constantly visited by owners 

 of feathered pets to seek information on a subject 

 to which their human instinct should furnish the 

 answer. This is particularly the case in breeding- 

 season ; and a question asked daily is, — 



" My Bird is egg-bound : what shall I do for it ? " 

 A few questions from the dealer reveals the fact that 

 the female has been fed upon dry seed, and food of 



