324 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol.LVI 



canary females and the remaining 17 were trapped 

 shortly before the breeding season. It is chiefly due to 

 this second fact that the number of hybrids obtained 

 was not larger. All of the experiments were carried out 

 in separate breeding cages. The matings which yielded 

 results were the following: 



TABLE I 



No. 



The four hybrids resulting from cross No. 3 (willow 

 goldfinch 2 X Arkansas goldfinch c^) died a few days 

 after hatching, and the female could not be induced to 

 breed for a second time. These hybrids differed from 

 ordinary newly-hat<;hed finches and from the eight hy- 

 brids obtained from crosses No. 1 and No. 2 in having 

 exceedingly large abdomens, a condition which was prob- 

 ably due to the fact that a large quantity of yolk had not 

 been assimilated. 



Cross No. 1 (yellow canary ? X California linnet c?) 

 yielded three hybrids, one of which was accidentally 

 killed when nine days old. During the same summer 

 (1919) Mrs. L. V. Irelan of Berkeley, California, like- 

 wise succeeded in rearing a brood (2 males and 2 fe- 

 males) of canary-California linnet hybrids^ which the 

 writer was able to compare Avith his own. 



Before going into detail regarding the coloration of 

 these canary-California linnet hybrids, it seems desir- 

 able to refer briefly to the plumage color of the paternal 

 species, the California linnet. Both sexes of this finch 

 are grayish-brown in color, but, when about three months 

 old, the male turns rose pink, orange red, or scarlet about 



4 The same female which was used in cross No. 1. 



