326 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. L VI 



used in this oxperiment was also mated with a yellow 

 canary, hut, despite much treading, all eggs were clear. 



From cross No. 2 (yellow canary ? X willow goldfinch 

 (^) five^ hybrids were obtained. A few years before, Dr. 

 H. C. Bryant of the California Fish and Game Commis- 

 sion also succeeded in rearing a canary-willow goldfinch 

 hybrid, concerning which he has been kind enough to 

 furnish the writer with complete information. 



Before considering the plumage color of these canary- 

 willow goldfinch hybrids, it seems again desirable to 

 sketch briefly that of the wild finch. Both young and 

 adults of the willow goldfinch are chiefly olive-brown 

 and black in color, but the sexually mature male turns 

 canary-yellow during the summer, with the exception of 

 the wings, tail and a small patch on the head, which re- 

 main black. Neither young nor adults show any streak- 

 ing.« 



The three canary-wdllow goldfinch hybrids reared by 

 the writer are (January 6th, 1921) colored as follows: 

 No. 1, completely dark (self-colored) ; No. 2, likewise, 

 except for a few yellow feathers near the left eye; No. 

 3, dark, with a yellow band, about 5 mm. in width, run- 

 ning across the head; No. 4 (reared by Dr. Bryant), ^'^ 

 dark, with some white feathers on the tail. All of the 

 hybrids reared by the writer are conspicuously streaked, 

 which, according to Dr. Bryant, was also true of hybrid 

 No. 4. 



As regards size and shape, the writer's canary- willow 

 goldfinch hybrids closely resemble the canary (this was 

 also true of hybrid No. 4), especially . in shape of beak 

 and length of tail, in which respects there is a consider- 

 able difference between the two parental species. As in 



8 Two of these died shortly after hatching and hence furnished no re- 

 liable data as regards coloration. 



