LAND BIRDS. 531 



tendrils, and sometimes pine needles, but rarely if ever with any soft 

 substances. The eggs are three or four, greenish-white, spotted with brown 

 and lilac, and average .99 by .73 inches. 



Much has been written of the Cardinal's song, but although he has a very 

 loud, sweet whistle and a considerable variety of notes, these, so far as our 

 experience goes, are seldom if ever brought near enough together to form 

 what can properly be called a song. The usual call-note, is a clear flute- 

 like whistle of two notes, such as is used in calling a dog, and may be written 

 " wheo-wheo-wheo," sometimes shortened to "cue-cue-cue" and often 

 repeated twenty or thirty times in succession. At other times the call 

 suggests the words beauty, beauty, beauty, with strong accent on the first 

 syllable. Hoffman says: "Its notes are too numerous to transcribe, 

 but are nearly all loud and clear; the same note is generally repeated with 

 energy and rapidl}^ Some common forms of the song resemble the sylla- 

 bles whoit-whoit-whoit, etc., ku-ku-ku, etc. One form ends in a series 

 of e's so long continued that it apparently ends only when the singer becomes 

 out of breath." The female also is said to sing, but we have heard her 

 utter only the usual call-notes. 



The Cardinal is a favorite cage bird and in some sections of the south, 

 particularly about the larger cities, has been nearly exterminated by the 

 systematic removal of the young from the nests. The bird lives readily 

 in a cage and whistles fairly well, but seldom keeps the brilliant plumage 

 for more than a year or two. Nuttall states that an instance is known 

 of one which survived in confinement for twenty-one years. 



The Cardinal eats seeds and fruits of various kinds, as well as buds and 

 insects. During the winter he takes berries of red cedar, cat-brier {Smilax), 

 bittersweet, the various sumacs, haws {Crataegus), and almost any small 

 wild fruit which can be found hanging on tree or vine. His staple food, 

 however, consists of seeds of various kinds, and of these there seem to be 

 no lack. If he has any particular value as an insect destroyer, the fact 

 has escaped observation; we only know that during the nesting season he 

 consumes insects freely and feeds them to his young, and the presumption 

 is that he thus helps to prevent the undue increase of insects which might 

 result disastrously to the agriculturist. In Nebraska Professor Aughey 

 examined the stomachs of four Cardinals killed in August and September 

 and found the stomachs to contain an aggregate of eightj'-eight insects, 

 more than half of which were locusts. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult male: Bill very large, stout, conical, bright red, the feathers all about its base 

 deep black, as are also the chin and upper throat; rest of the phunage deei) red, brightest 

 (vermillion) on the under parts, duller or darker on the back, where many of the feathers 

 are tipped witli grayish; upper surface of wings and tail similar, the wing-featliers dusky 

 on inner webs; head with a consj)icuous, jjointcd crest, like f liat of the Blue Jay, but wholly 

 deep red; iris light brown; feet and legs dusky. Adult female: Wings antl'tail about as 

 in male, and terminal part of crest distinctly red; otherwise quite cUiTcrcnt; bhick of face 

 entirely replaced by dull gray; under parts brownisli-yellow, anil upper ])ar(s greenish-gray 

 or brownish-gray; bill and iris about as in male. Young birds are similar to tlie old female, 

 l)ut duller and with the bill blackish. 



Length 7.50 to 9.25 inches; wing 3.55 to 4; tail .'?.9() to 4.('.(); culmen .72 to .82. 



