on which they are due to be hatched, and left totally unprotected for a period of six hours in warm weather, and even a much longer time, and if again replaced under the hen, they will be hatched, and, the chicks survive. I have likewise found that eggs which have been sat upon for a period of two days may be removed for a corresponding period, and afterwards returned to the nest without injury to them; but, as a matter of course, they must be sat upon the full time-i.e., thirteen days-before they will hatch. These facts are worth knowing, and it would be well if fanciers would make sacrifices by way of experiment occasionally, and give the results of their labours for the edification and enlightenment of their brother fanciers. Eggs have been known to be hatched that have been kept for a period of eight days before being set, and it is quite possible that eggs kept even for a period of twelve days might prove fruitful.

CHAPTER III.

MULE BREEDING.

AMONG the many pleasures to be derived by bird-fanciers from breeding birds, there is none which affords such an amount of pleasure, instruction, and amusement, as mule breeding; that is, provided good specimens of the hybrids are obtained. Herein lies the difficulty, but when once it has been surmounted, a full reward for all past labours, perseverance, and patience is reaped.

UNCERTAINTIES OF MULE BREEDING.-It is a well-known fact that many men have bred mules for a great number of years, between the goldfinch and the canary, and likewise between the linnet (Fringilla Linota, Linn.)-commonly known as the grey or brown linnet-and canary, and have never once succeeded in producing a single specimen worth 5s.; whilst others, who have only been recognised as "fanciers" but a short time, comparatively speaking, have managed to obtain birds worth as many pounds sterling each, and no doubt a great deal of this success depends upon intelligence and observation.

GOOD MULES.-Up to within a very recent period, any fancier who happened to produce a good specimen of a lightly-marked mule was looked upon as either an exceedingly fortunate individual, or a man that really knew something-a sort of seer in "birdology." No doubt, solitary instances are on record of persons having bred a good specimen, as it were by mere accident, that is, at a first attempt; whilst others, as I have before stated,

have bred mules for many years or, as I have frequently heard it expressed, "all their lives," and never were fortunate enough to "get anything worth looking at."

INFLUENCE OF PARENTS ON THE PROGENY.-There are a great many theories in vogue as to how good mules are produced, especially goldfinch mules; and I have heard fanciers express a very decided opinion to the effect that it was attributable to breeding with a particular kind of goldfinch, whilst others as implicitly believe that the description of the finch has nothing whatever to do with the result. One thing, however, is pretty certain, and that is, that when a hen has been found to breed pied mules with regularity, her offspring may be relied upon, as a rule, to do the same thing. This being an established fact, any man who is in possession of a well-known hen of this description is almost certain to be besieged with applications for young hens bred from her; and fabulous prices have occasionally been paid for them. Fanciers who are in possession of the genuine type of birds for producing prize mules can seldom be induced to part with them, and I have known what I should consider most tempting offers to purchase blankly refused.

All those who are genuine admirers of our feathered favourites, and have been in any way associated with the "fancy" during the last twenty-five or thirty years, must have a vivid recollection of the names of some of our most famous mule breeders. I refer to breeders of birds which have obtained great celebrity, such as Lenny Moore, Tempest, Robson, Brent, and many others, and not the mere exhibitors; as it is now notorious that a number of our largest and most successful exhibitors very rarely breed a single specimen of the birds they show, they being simply the purchasers, and, consequently the possessors of the birds. Of course, there are some exceptions, but this rule applies pretty generally.

GOLDFINCH AND CANARY MULES.-When commencing to breed mules, my advice is, confine yourself to those obtained between the goldfinch and canary, linnet and canary, or goldfinch and bullfinch, as they are best calculated to reward you

pecuniarily for the trials and disappointments which are almost certain to beset you at the beginning; but you must persevere, and if my instructions are strictly followed, I have every confidence that your labours will terminate satisfactorily. Other kinds of mules can be obtained, such as siskin and canary, bullfinch and greenfinch, &c., but of these I will treat more particularly under their respective headings.

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The goldfinch and canary undoubtedly produce by far the most beautiful of all the canary hybrids, as such variety and diversity of colour and markings are obtained as cannot be had by any other cross. The first thing to be aimed at is to get a strain of canary hens that can be relied upon to breed marked mules, as it is beyond dispute that the majority of hens chosen at random, or even selected, as they sometimes are, by breeders who imagine that they know a thing or two," very seldom produce the merest semblance of a pied bird, although they have tried season after season with hens of totally different strains. When first I commenced to breed mules, which is a good many years ago, I began, like a great many more fanciers, with no more idea of anything further being required than simply to place a male goldfinch and female canary together in a breeding-cage, give them a nest, and await the result. Experience has taught me very different. After breeding mules for several years, with no better success than, as a mortified old fancier illnaturedly observed, "getting a houseful of sparrows"-for such are dark mules sometimes designated-I began to turn my attention to the subject more closely.

SIB-BRED BIRDS.-Having determined to enquire into this subject, I paid a visit to a person who had obtained considerable notoriety in his neighbourhood among the "fancy," from the fact of his having bred, during the previous five or six years, two or three very good goldfinch and canary mules. He was a carpenter by trade, and I found him shrewd and intelligent, and inclined to be communicative. As a matter of course, I asked him the usual "thousand and one" questions, but all the information of a practical

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character that I was enabled to obtain from him was that all his canary hens used for this purpose were of So-and-so's "celebrated" strain. I visited another and another, with a like result, and not being satisfied I determined to visit Mr. So-and-so himself. This gentleman was none other than a knight of the shovel and pick; or, to speak more plainly, a pitman, or hewer of black diamonds." This individual I found to be exceedingly reserved, cautious, suspicious, and cunning in his manner. When I began to question him as to how he managed to obtain the hens that had bred him such excellent mules, he was very mysterious in his demeanour, and his answers were given after considerable deliberation on his part. He evidently regarded my visit and catechising him with much disfavour. Finding that my tactics asking straightforward questions were not at all appreciated, I resorted to a different plan altogether, and with apparently much better success. I bought a marked mule from him at a good price, and also a young canary hen "of the mother of the mule" I had bought-so he informed me. She ought to have been, for the price I paid for her; but whether she was a daughter of this particular hen or not, I can only say that she failed to emulate the deeds of her parent. After repeated visits and much manoeuvring, I fancied I had learned something. He told me he had possessed the strain for upwards of twenty years; and in answer to further questions, I discovered that they were all very nearly allied in blood relationship. This gave me an idea, and I resolved to follow it up.

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Whenever I heard that any breeder had produced a 'pied" mule, I made it a rule to go and try my utmost to trace the parentage of the hen that bred it. Sometimes I succeeded to a certain extent, but not generally; and I found it a slow process and terribly up-hill work. It often happened that the hen had been bought from a dealer, or the person had forgotten where he purchased her, and had merely run a goldfinch to her as an "off chance," in hopes of getting "something good." Still the little information I was enabled to accumulate in this way