ORDER PASSERES. 271 



birds entirely black, it will be sufficient to feed them con- 

 stantly on hempseed. This variety is said to be found in 

 Silesia. 



The Citril Finch is found in all Italy, Greece, Turkey, 

 Austria, Provence, Languedoc, Spain, Portugal, and some- 

 times in Lorraine. The male has an agreeable and varied 

 song, but not so fine and clear as that of the canary. In 

 Italy this species makes its nest not only in the country, but 

 oftentimes in gardens on tufted trees, particularly on the 

 cypress, and constructs it of wool, horse hair, and feathers. 

 The eggs are four or five : the male easily pairs with the 

 female canary, and the mules have been found productive. 

 The Count de Riocourt had for many years several of these 

 mules, which coupled with female canaries, and the young 

 produced new generations. The same fact occurred with 

 Mr. Vieillot. Some resembled the father and some the 

 mother, without reference to the distinction of sex in them- 

 selves ; while, on the contrary, the alliance with the female 

 canary, goldfinch, bullfinch, greenfinch, &c. gave rise to a 

 mixture of colours in the offspring, none of which perfectly 

 resembled either father or mother. Another remark, very 

 essential, is, that if the alliance of the male citril with the 

 female canary gives rise to new generations, by the reproduc- 

 tion of the young, the female citril will reject, in captivity, 

 the advances of the male canary, and even those of the male 

 of her own species, and that the same is the case with the 

 female mules of the first alliance. They refuse all pairing 

 either with the male mules, the citril, or the canary, which 

 proves that the original type is more firm with them than with 

 the males. Notwithstanding this, M. Vieillot is inclined to 

 consider the citril and the canary not as two distinct species, 

 but as two races springing from the same stock, one of which 

 has fixed in Europe and the other in the Canaries, and whose 

 differences are attributable to localities. The fecundity of 



