28 THE CANARY BIRD. 



MULE BREEDING. 



Some naturalists are of opinion that the 

 hybrid of the Canary forms an exception, and 

 instead of being barren is fruitful, and can 

 propagate its kind. Baron Cuvier, in his 

 " Animal Kingdom," states this doctrine, but 

 only to disprove it, as contrary to an estab- 

 lished law of nature, and all observations 

 attest it to be notoriously contrary to the fact. 

 Eggs will be laid and all the duties of mother 

 performed, but here the matter ends ; and this 

 no more implies the re-productive power of 

 the Canary mule, than the laying and setting 

 of the domestic fowl without a cock. Al- 

 though no posterity follows, the first opera- 

 tion is sufficiently interesting to make the 

 subject of mule breeding worthy of attention. 



There are various kinds of cross breeding, 

 or what is termed mule breeding ; that is, an 

 union with other country finches, or small 

 hard billed • birds, such as the Venturon, the 

 Cini, or Serin, the Aberdevine, the English 

 Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Linnet, 

 Hedge Sparrow, Yellow Hammer, and Bull- 

 finch, united with the cock and hen Canaries, 

 which require some notice and attention. 



Of all these crosses, none is so common in 

 this country, or so successful, as that of the 

 hen Canary and cock Goldfinch ; from which 

 on account of the variety of the male's plu- 

 mage, the young are sometimes extremely 

 beautiful. The above and many others, may 

 be paired with the Canaries, but it is neces- 



