The Descent of Man

dishments, for they nested and produced seven
or eight young ones."
What the charm may have been in these several
cases, beyond mere novelty, we cannot even
conjecture. Colour, however, sometimes comes
into play; for in order to raise hybrids from the
siskin (Fringilla spinus) and the canary, it is
much the best plan, according to Bechstein, to
place birds of the same tint together. Mr. Jenner
Weir turned a female canary into his aviary,
where there were male linnets, goldfinches,
siskins, greenfinches, chaffinches, and other
birds, in order to see which she would choose;
but there never was any doubt, and the greenfinch
carried the day. They paired and produced
hybrid offspring.
The fact of the female preferring to pair with
one male rather than with another of the same
species is not so likely to excite attention, as
when this occurs, as we have just seen, between
distinct species. The former cases can best be