398 Birds of Colorado 



three or four inches above the ground, and was ahnost 

 completely hidden from sight. 



Genus CARDINALIS. 



Rather large Finches with conspicuous crests ; bill very large, stout 

 and conical, much deeper than broad ; depth about equal to culmen ; 

 wing rather short and rounded ; tail longer than the wing and sUghtly 

 rounded ; tarsus moderate about -4 of wing ; plumage wholly red in 

 males, partly so in females, with a black face-patch. 



The Cardinals are found tluroughout the southern United States 

 and southwards to British Honduras ; and again in northern South 

 America. Only one species has been met with in Colorado. 



Cardinal. Cardinalis cardinalis. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 593 — Colorado Records — Baird, Brewer & 

 RidgT\'ay 74, p. 516 (in error) ; Cooke 97, pp. 108, 167- 



Description. — IMale — General colour above dull crimson, washed 

 with grey, brightest on the head and crest ; forehead, lores, chin and 

 throat black ; below bright crimson-red, becoming duller on the imder 

 tail-coverts and tail ; iris brown, bill bright orange-red, feet horny- 

 brown. Length 8-40 ; wing 3-75 ; tail 4-00 ; culmen -65 ; tarsias -93. 



The female is dull olive-grey above ; part of the crest, the wings 

 and tail dull crimson ; below a buffy-grey, fading to nearly white 

 posteriorly ; a yoimg male is very hke the adult female, but 

 lacks the facial shield and has the bill dusky horn. 



Distribution. — The eastern United States from about New York to 

 the Gulf and westwards to eastern Kansas, breeding throughout its 

 range. 



The Cardinal can only be considered an accidental visitor to Colorado. 

 Only two records are given by Cooke. One was taken near Denver 

 December 5th, 1883, according to A. W. Anthony, another was seen 

 by H. W. Nash near Pueblo, November 28th, 1895. The bird is rather 

 a favourite cage-bird, and in both these instances may qmte possibly 

 have escaped from captivity. 



Aiken tells me that Baird, Brewer and Ridgway's record is based 

 on a mistake ; he himself has never seen it in El Paso eo. ; but he has 

 been recently informed of its occurrence during the winter of 1908-9 on 

 Wright's Ranch in the Monument Valley a few miles north of Pueblo. 



Genus ZAMELODIA. 

 Large Finches with very stout, swollen and deep bills, the lower 

 mandible distinctly deeper than the upper ; culmen rounded and 

 nostrils exposed ; wing long and pointed, the ninth (outer) primary 



