Luck in Bird-Breeding.



26S



more powerful song: it seems odd that two birds differing

greatly both in size and colouring should agree closely both in

their eggs and their vocal performances, but colouring does not

appear to be much test of affinity : I have no doubt, from a study

of Rose-finches in captivity, that they are much more closely

related to the Serins than to the Bullfinches; their fugitive

colouring also is less characteristic of the latter than of the

Linnets, which again seem nearly allied to the Serins.


So far as I could see into the nest, the second clutch con¬

sisted of two eggs, upon which the mother at first sat very

unsteadily, flying off at once if one looked at her from the out¬

side of the aviary ; later she became much more steady, which

inclined me to hope that the eggs were fertile; however, they

did not hatch, and as the bird continued to sit I examined the

nest on July 21st and found two clear eggs which of course I

took away.


Now if I had been a lucky breeder I should have had a

nest of hybrid Sparrows and two full nests of hybrid Canaries

instead of getting only one (probably hen) bird from the two

pairs : yet breeding is not altogether a toss-up, and I do not

doubt that much of my want of success was due for many years

to the fact that my aviaries were overcrowded, though it cannot

be denied that in some overcrowded aviaries most satisfactory

results have occasionally been attained.


Perhaps it has been better for aviculture that I have not

been a very successful breeder: if I had been, perhaps I should

have been content to record my experiences in a series of short

scattered articles, instead of bringing out text-books collating

the information acquired by the experience of workers through¬

out Europe during the past century. No doubt there is some

truth in the old saying that "whatever is. is best.”



