F R I N G I L L 
contrary, if the femaie goidfincli be placed befide the 
male canary, they fooner couple. It is found that the 
filkin is the only l ird, of which the male and female pro¬ 
pagate equally witji thofe of the male or female canaries. 
The female canary a! fo breeds readily with the goldfinch ; 
not fo ejfilv witli the cock linnet ; and even produces, 
though with more diffic\iliy, under the male chaffinches, 
yeltovv-diammers, and (parrows; whereas the male cana¬ 
ries cannot impregnate the females t f thcfe lards. Ishiiure 
is therefore more uniform and permanent in the male titan 
in the female ; in the former, the charcufters are deeply 
imprinted ; in the latter, the qualities are modified by 
. the influence ofexteriuil caufes. 
When canaries are oaired of an uniform colour, that of 
their young isalfo uniform. If the jiarents be of ditlerent 
colours, the fruits of their commerce will have a richer 
plumage ; and as the combinations iliat can take place are 
numerous, an immenfe variety of tints piay be produced. 
33nt when tiie canaries of an unifortn colour are crolfed 
with thofe which are variegated, the changes are prodi- 
gioiifly multiplied, and there is fcarcely any limit to thefe 
iportive modifications. 
Witli reCpeft to tlie intercourfe of ilie canary with 
birds of other fpecies, we (hall here Rate the mod authca- 
lic obfervadons. Of all the canaries, the cock cini, or 
green canary, has the firongcR voice, and appears to be 
the mofi: vigorous, and the moff ardent in propagation ; 
it is fufficieiu for iliree female canarie-, and while they 
are fitting in the fiefts, it fupplies them and tl'.eir young 
with food. The filkin and the goldfinch are neither fo 
powerful nor fo afiiiiuous, and a fingle female canary fa- 
tisfies their appetite. The crofs breed of the cini, oftlte 
fifitin, and of the goldfinch, with the hen canary, arc 
fironger than the canaries, fing longer, and their notes 
are fuller and more fonorous : but tliey are flower in re¬ 
ceiving infirmSIion ; for the moff part, ih'ey vvhiflle imper- 
ieftly, and feldom one can be found that can repeat a 
fingle air complete. 
When we wiih to have a breed of the goldfinch with 
the hen canary, the former fiiould be two years old, and 
the latter one, for the canary arrives fooner at maturity. 
It will be better if both be reared together, though that 
precaution is not abfolutely neceffaiy ; for the author of 
the Treatife on Canaries miftakes in afferting, that tlie 
hen mult never have had commerce with a male of her 
ow.n fpecies, and that this would prevent her from receiv¬ 
ing thofe of a different kind. The following faft is di- 
reiftly contrary to th.is opinion : for Buffon relates that 
twelve canaries were put together, four males and eight 
females. Grofs cldckweed killed three of thefe males, 
and all the fem.ales loft their firfl liatch. Inflead of thefe 
cock canaries, three male goldfinches were fubftituted, 
and put into the aviary in the beginning of May. To¬ 
wards the end of Jc.ly they had two nefts of young, which 
thrived \Vell : and in the following year there were three 
hatches of each cock goldfinch with the female canaries. 
Thefe commonly do not breed with the goldfinch, except 
from the age of one to four ; while tliey continue prolific 
with their own males till eight or nine : and it is only tlie 
variegated female that breeds with the goldfincii after its 
fourth year. Thus it appears that the hen canaries, 
though accuftomed to the comm.erce of their own fpecies, 
lifien to the invitation of the male goldfinches, and fub- 
mit without reluCdance to their embraces. The union is 
even as produ6five as wdth their proper mates, fince they 
I’.ave three hatches a year with the goldfinch. The cafe 
is different in the intercourfe of the cock'linnet with the 
canary, there being comm.only but one hatch, very fel¬ 
dom tw'o, in the year. 
The progeny of the canaries with tlie fifkins, with the 
goldfinches. See. are prolific, and can breed not only 
with boih'the fpecies from which they fprung, but like, 
wife with each other ; and thus may perpetuate an end- 
lefs variety. Sprengel has made many obfervations with 
regard to the crofs-breeds of the canaries with other fpe¬ 
cies, and particularly with the goldfinches; he has llievvn 
that tlie progeny a! ways continued to propagate with each 
other, and wiili the parent races. The proof which he 
has adduced is compleie, though before him tliefe hybrids 
were confidered as flerile. We imifl own, liowever, tltat 
(he fruits of the intermixture in thefe hybrids are far from 
being fo certain or fo mimeroiis as in the pure Ipccies; 
they generally liave only one hatcli a-vear, feldom two, 
their eggs pi e often add;C, and the fuccefs depends on. 
m.my minute circumriances, which it would be im|)ollible 
toobferve, and (fill lefs to rlefcribe with precinon. 'I'hefe 
hybrids, wliicii are fironger than the canaries, and liave a 
louder Vtoice, are alfo longer lived. But there is an ol)- 
fervation vvhicJi applies alike to till, that tlie period of 
(dieir lives isabridged by their ardour in propagation. A- 
cock canary Vailed by Itfeif, and without intercourfe witli 
tlie female, lives generally thirteen or fourteen years 5 
andalie crofs-breed of the goldfinch will reach its eigh¬ 
teenth or niiieteeniii year. Tiie crofs-breed (jf the filkin, 
if kept apart from the females, live fifteen or fixteen years. 
Wliereas the cock Canary, which has one or feveral fe¬ 
males, feldom lives longer than ten orelven years; the. 
crofs-breed of the (iflein eleven or twelve, -and that of the 
goldfinch fourteen or fifteen. It is ajfo neceffary to part 
them from the females after the time of iiatching ; that is,, 
from the month of Augufi to that of Maich : elfe the 
heat of theirdefires would vvafte tltem, pnd abridge their 
lives by two or tliree years. 
The befi way to breed from thefe birds, is,td give them 
a chamber, having a funny afpeiS, and facing the eafi ia 
winter. For in tlie cage they will pften break the eggs 
to repeat aheir embrace ; but, when they are lodged in art 
apartment where there are more females than males, they, 
will pay their addrefles to another, and allow tlie firfi to- 
hatch undifitirhed. Befides, tlie males, from jealoufy, 
will not fuffer diforders to be.commitred ; and when one 
is prompted by ardour to teafe his female and break iier 
egg?, they will give him a beating, fulficient to allay his. 
concupifceace. The materials given to build their nef‘>. 
are the ferapings of fine linen rags, cows and flags hair, 
mofs, and llender dry fialks of hay. The goldfinches and 
fifkins, when lodged with the hen canaries, to obtain a 
crofs-breed, make life of the mofs and hay, but the cana=- 
ries prefer the hair and lint; but thefe niuft be we!! di¬ 
vided, left the fibres, fiicking to their feet, .fiiould occa- 
fion the eggs to be broken. To feed them, a crib is placed 
in the chambeF, which is pierced all round with lioles- 
that admit the head ; and into it a portion of this mixture, 
is put; three pints of rape-feed, two of oats, two of mil¬ 
let, and a pint of hemp'-i'eed ; and the crib is rcplenifhed 
every twelve or thirteen days, taking care^that tlie grains., 
be well cleaned and winnowed. Tliis food is properwhen 
tliey are only fitting ; but the day before tlie young are. 
excluded from the fhell, the parents ought to iiu've a dry 
cake baked without fait, and after eating it, they fiiould 
have hard boiled eggs ; one being fufficient for two males 
and four females, and two for four males and eiglit fe¬ 
males, and fo in proportion. To vary fomewhat theii*. 
diet, they fiiould every three days be piefented on a plate, 
with a bit of wlu'te bread foaked in water, and I'queezed- 
in the hand ; this being not fo rich as the cake, will pre-- 
vent them from growing too fat while breeding. It would 
alfo be proper to give them a few ctinary feeds, but only 
once in two days, left they be heated too much. Sugar 
bifeuit commonly produces that effeft, and is attended 
with another ftill worfe, that the hens fed on it lay eggs ■ 
that are addle, or too fmall and tender. When the eggs are 
fmall, the rape-feed fiiould be boiled every day to"blunt 
its acrimony. After the hatch, the canaries ought to be 
purged with plaintainand lettuce-feeds; butcaremuftbe 
taken to remove the young birds, wliicli would be great¬ 
ly weakened by this regimen, and the parents muft not be 
confined to it longer than two days. When you want to 
feed them with the ftick, you ought not, as mofi bird- 
catchers advife, leave them with the mother till the 
eleventh 
