92 The Canary Book. 



have bred mules for many years or, as I have frequently heard it 

 expressed, "all their lives," and never were fortunate enough 

 to "get anything worth looking at." 



INFLUENCE OF PARENTS ON THE PROGENY. There are a 

 great many theories in vogue as to how good mules are produced, 

 especially goldfinch mules ; and I have heard fanciers express a 

 very decided opinion to the effect that it was attributable to 

 breeding with a particular kind of goldfinch, whilst others as 

 implicitly believe that the description of the finch has nothing 

 whatever to do with the result. One thing, however, is pretty 

 certain, and that is, that when a hen has been found to breed 

 pied mules with regularity, her offspring may be relied upon, as 

 a rule, to do the same thing. This being an established fact, 

 any man who is in possession of a well-known hen of this 

 description is almost certain to be besieged with applications for 

 young hens bred from her ; and fabulous prices have occasionally 

 been paid for them. Fanciers who are in possession of the 

 genuine type of birds for producing prize mules can seldom be 

 induced to part with them, and I have known what I should 

 consider most tempting offers to purchase blankly refused. 



All those who are genuine admirers of our feathered favourites, 

 and have been in any way associated with the " fancy " during 

 the last twenty-five or thirty years, must have a vivid recollection 

 of the names of some of our most famous mule breeders. I refer 

 to breeders of birds which have obtained great celebrity, such 

 as Lenny Moore, Tempest, Robson, Brent, and many others, and 

 not the mere exhibitors ; as it is now notorious that a number of 

 our largest and most successful exhibitors very rarely breed 

 a single specimen of the birds they show, they being simply 

 the purchasers, and, consequently the possessors of the birds. 

 Of course, there are some exceptions, but this rule applies 

 pretty generally. 



GOLDFINCH AND CANARY MULES. When commencing to 

 breed mules, my advice is, confine yourself to those obtained 

 between the goldfinch and canary, linnet and canary, or goldfinch 

 and bullfinch, as they are best calculated to reward you 



