134 Handbook of Nature-Study 



ground. It is made of twigs, weed steins, tendrils, the bark of the grape 

 vine and coarse grass; it is lined with fine grass and rootlets; it is rather 

 loosely constructed but firm and is well hidden, for it causes these birds 

 great anguish to have their nest discovered. Three or four eggs are laid, 

 which are bluish white or grayish, dully marked with brown. The father 

 cardinal is an exemplary husband and father; he cares for and feeds his 

 mate tenderly and sings to her gloriously while she is sitting; and he 

 works hard catching insects for the nestlings. He is also a brave defender 

 of his nest and will attack any intruder, however large, with undaunted 

 courage. The fledglings all have the dull color of the mother and have 

 dark-colored bills. Their dull color protects the young birds from the 

 keen eyes of their enemies while they are not yet able to take care of 

 themselves. If the male fledglings were the color of their father, probably 

 not one would escape a tragic death. While the mother bird is hatching 

 the second brood the father keeps the first brood with him and cares for 

 them; often the whole family remains together during the winter, making 

 a small flock. However, the flocking habit is not characteristic of these 

 birds, and we only see them in considerable numbers when the exigencies 

 of seeking food in the winter naturally bring them together. 



The cardinals are fond of the shrubbery and thickets of river bottoms, 

 near grain fields, or where there is plenty of wild grass, and they only visit 

 our premises when driven to us by winter hunger. Their food consists of 

 the seeds of rank weeds, corn, wheat, rye, oats, beetles, grasshoppers, 

 flies, and to some extent, wild and garden berries; but they never occur in 

 sufficient numbers to be a menace to our crops. The cardinals may often 

 be seen in the corn fields after the harvest, and will husk an overlooked ear 

 of corn and crack the kernels with their beaks in a most dexterous man- 

 ner. During the winter we may coax them to our grounds by scattering 

 corn in some place not frequented by cats; thus, we may induce them to 

 nest near us, since the cardinal is not naturally a migrant but likes to stay 

 in one locality summer and winter. It has been known to come as far 

 north as Boston and southern New York, but it is found in greatest num- 

 bers in our Southern States. Many nestlings were formerly taken, to ship 

 in cages to Europe, but the National Association for Bird Protection has 

 put a stop to this. In Ohio, no cardinal is allowed to be caged, and this 

 same law should protect this beautiful bird in every Southern state, since 

 it does not live long or happily in confinement. The cardinal's song is not 

 at its best in a cage, but as the poet Naylor says : 



"Along the dust-white river road. 

 The saucy redbird chirps and trills; 

 His liquid notes resound and rise 

 Until they meet the cloudless skies, 

 And echo o'er the distant liills." 



LESSON XXXI 



THE CARDINAL GROSBEAK 



Leading thought The cardinal is the most brilliantly colored of all our 

 birds and because of its color and song, it has been destroyed by thousands 

 as cage birds. We should seek to preserve it as a beautiful ornament to 

 our groves and grounds. 



