CAN AR.Y-3IR.TA- 
99 
mer and Sparrow, while the male Canary is in- 
capable of fecundating the females of any of 
thefe laft. Nature is therefore more ambiguous 
and lefs conftant, and the mould of the fpecies 
lefs firm in the female than in the male : the 
latter is the true model ; its ftructure is 
ftronger than that of the female, which is lub- 
jeft to various modifications and alterations by 
a mixture with other ipecies. 
The firft variety which feerns to conftitiue 
two diftinfc races in the fpecies of the Canary- 
Bird is formed of the variegated and the plain, 
(or the fpangled and gay birds, as they are 
called in London.) The white are never \a- 
riegated, neither are the citron coloured: but 
when thefe laft have attained the age of four or 
five years, the extremities of the wings and 
tail become white. The grey are not of an uni- 
form colour ; on the fame bird there aie lea- 
thers more orlefs grey and in many of taels 
birds the grey is lighter or darker, more in- 
clined to the brown or the black. Tire agates 
are of an uniform colour, but there are fome 
where the agate colour is lighter or darker. 
Thofe inclining to a cream colour are ftill more 
uniform ; the yellow is conftant both in the 
fame bird, and in the different individuals. In 
the variegated, or fpangled birds, thofe that 
are of a jonquil yellow are tinged witn biacK, 
and there is generally a foot of black on tnu 
I a 
