CARDINAL. 153 



piiiGCcr.-^ have dropped from tlie chorus tliat liis voice be- 

 comes conspicuous. 



Not far away his mate is doubtless sitting on her Idu- 

 ish white eggs in a nest low down in the crotch of a l)U>h. 

 He in liis deep indigo costume may be easily identilied, 

 but she is a dull brownish bird, about the size of a Ca- 

 nary, sparrowlike in appearance, though with unstreaked 

 ])lumage, and a dithcult bird to name, even when you 

 have a specimen in your hand, while in the bush, if silent, 

 she is a puzzle. But she is far too good a mother not to 

 protest if you venture too near her home, and her sharp 

 jnt or jyeet usually calls her mate, whom you will recog- 

 nize at once. 



The Cardinal is about the size of a Towhee, with 

 plumage which, except for a black throat, is almost 

 Cardinal wdiolly rosy red. Seeing a mounted 



Cnrdinaiis cardinalis. Cardinal, oue might imagine that he 

 Plate Lxxxiv. ^^g ^ conspicuous bird in life and easy 

 to observe ; but the truth is that, in spite of his bright 

 colors, the Cardinal is a surprisingly difficult bird to see. 

 You may often hear his sharp, insignificant tsip without 

 catching a glimpse of the caller, so well can he conceal 

 himself. His olive-brown mate is, of course, even more 

 difficult to find, and when you do see her you would 

 hardly suspect the relationship wxre it not for her actions 

 and the striking crest worn by both sexes. 



The Cardinal's song is a rich, sympathetic whistle. 

 His mate also sings at times, and I carry in my memory 

 a musical courting I once observed, in which a pair of 

 these beautiful birds w^ere the actors. The song begins 

 with v'hof-you^ ichee-you^ long-drawn notes, which are 

 followed by a more rapid hurry ^ hurry, hurri/ ; quicl\ 

 quicl\ qui<-l\ and other notes difficult of description. 

 The Cardinal is a bird of the Southern rather than of 

 the Northern States, and is rarely seen north of New 



