39 



CHAPTER YII. 



MULES. 



Ca:n"AETEs pair not only among themselves in our 

 aviaries and cages ; they also form connections foreign 

 to their species, and, provided the analogy is not too 

 remote, produce fruitful mules. 



Serins, citril finches, siskins, goldfinches, or linnets, 

 are the species which succeed best. To succeed, how- 

 ever, it is necessary that the birds should have been 

 brought up from the nest. 



The custom is to give an old male one of the above- 

 named species to a female canary, the principal reason 

 being that an old female of one of those species> 

 though she would not object to the union, could never 

 be induced to lay in an artificial nest, like a female 

 canary. The ofi'spring of these mixtures combine the 

 colours of the father and mother, learn well enough 

 if they descend from a linnet or goldfinch, but sing: 

 badly if they come from a siskin or lesser redpole. 



They are easily brought up with the paste men- 

 tioned for cauaries. It is asserted that the mules ci 



