Mule Breeding. 



domesticated, and is moulted in the house, its legs becomes clear 

 or flesh-coloured, although termed by the "fancy" "white- 

 legged ; " hence you are able to tell whether a bird has been 

 " house-moulted " or not. It is further stated, on good autho- 

 rity, that if ever a goldfinch becomes clear in the bill before 

 the month of February it is certain to die shortly after it has 

 been placed with a hen canary for the first time. I have 

 myself known two instances of this happening. I think it is 

 caused through keeping the birds in too hot a room and 

 giving them stimulating food, which ripens them out of season, 

 and the unwary are sometimes imposed upon by unprincipled 

 people selling them birds of this description as "grand 

 breeding birds." 



Should anyone desire to experiment with a female goldfinch 

 and a male canary, in preference to the usual and generally 

 recognised method of breeding 

 mules, I would advise him to 

 *se a small room or very large 

 aviary for the purpose if an 

 out-of-door one, all the better ; 

 a small apple or pear tree 

 planted in a tub should be sup- 

 plied them; and care should 

 be taken to keep it well 

 watered and manured ; in ad- 

 dition to this, the birds will 

 require a quantity of moss > 



lichens, fine root fibres, and a Fio 45. Box NEST. 



Kttle wool, hair (cowhair), and 



dandelion or thistle-down for nest-building. They ought like- 

 wise to be kept together during the winter months, or at any 

 rate for several weeks prior to the commencement of the breed- 

 ing season. In all other respects mules must be bred and 

 treated in the same manner as canaries. If bred in cages use 

 the nest represented in Fig. 45. The bottom and sides are made 

 of wood, and likewise the ends ; but it is an improvement to 

 have one end glazed with ground glass, to give more light, 



I 2 



