GOLDFINCH MULES. 
MULE GOLDFINCH. 
canary (the most delicate of the finch tribe), and the goldfinch 
■will produce mules, at least the males, with canary-coloured 
bodies, and the head, tail, and 
wings of a goldfinch; whereas if 
you “ pair ” a “ spangled,” or 
variegated canary with a gold- 
finch, the plumage of their pro- 
geny will undoubtedly be blurred 
or irregular. I once saw a mule 
whose father was a goldfinch 
and whose mother was a dove- 
coloured canary, and without ex- 
ception it was the most beautiful 
bird I ever beheld. “ Dove ” 
canaries, as they are called, are 
by no means common ; they are 
the progeny of a cinnamon brown 
hen and a green canary. 
Full directions concerning the breeding-cage, its furniture, 
and all that is necessary to be known respecting the breeding 
of mules, will be found appended to the instructions respecting 
the canary. 
It is possible to allow the goldfinch his liberty altogether for 
four months in the year. I fancy there are few of my readers 
would care to risk this, but that it may be safely done I will 
quote Bechstien (one of the most learned and conscientious 
naturalists with whom I am acquainted), to prove. 
He says, “ A goldfinch must be taken in the winter, and one 
not too much accustomed to the warmth of the chamber, and in 
its cage, placed every day at the window, or on the sill, or upon 
a board, where it cannot be reached by mice ; and near the cage 
some hemp-seed must be strewn, with a little bunch of thistle- 
heads, the seeds of which are to be scattered among the hemp. 
Soon afterwards, other goldfinches, attracted by the call of the 
one in the cage, will fly thither to seek their food. When this 
is the case, it is no longer necessary to hang the decoy bird in 
the cage at the window, as eventually it might be injured by 
the cold, and it is then only hung within, a trap cage being 
placed outside, not for the purpose of immediately catching 
these birds, but to check the visits of the sparrows, and prevent 
them eating the seed. The fall of this trap cage must be con- 
nected by means of a string passed through a hole in the win- 
dow, so that from the inside it may be caused to fall at pleasure. 
