No. 645] HYBRIDS OF THE CANARY 



325 



the head, neck, breast and rump. These colors i 

 in extent and brilliancy with each molt. Males reared 

 and kept in captivity never develop anything but a yel- 

 lowish-buff color in these regions, and if a mature wild 

 male is confined, its red color, during the molt, likewise 

 becomes yellowish-buf¥. Both adults and young are con- 

 spicuously streaked, especially the latter. 



The six*' canary-California linnet hybrids were all 

 completely dark (self-colored) until the first molt (fall 

 1919), and closely resembled young California linnets, 

 but their plumage was less intensely dark than that of 

 the latter. During the fall molt of 1919 all of the hybrids 

 became slightly "washed" (tinged) with yellow where 

 the California linnet is red (or yellowish-buff). This 

 yellow tinge was more conspicuous in the males than in 

 the females and became somewhat more pronounced 

 during the fall molt of 1920. 



All six canary-California linnet hybrids are streaked, 

 like the paternal and the ''green" variety of the mater- 

 nal species. As regards size and shape, they differ very 

 little from the parents, both of which are similar in these 

 respects. Their notes are intermediate in timbre be- 

 tween those of the two parental species, the males hav- 

 ing a more powerful song than the canan'. 



In the spring of 1920 the writer paired two of these 

 canary-California linnet hybrids. Both showed an ar- 

 dent desire to breed and the female exhibited consider- 

 able skill in nest building. The first egg was laid on May 

 6, and several days later a second (May 10). Both of 

 these eggs were only about half the size of canarj' or 

 California linnet eggs' and were dark-blue in color, and 

 not speckled, while those of both parental species are 

 bluish-white and speckled. Both eggs were placed under 

 canary females, but proved to be infertile. The male 



6 The hybrid which was accidentally killed was identical in coloration 

 - This corroborates similar observations by Bechstein (1795, IV, p. 469) 



