; ,;.i^ , Che-pew, che-pew, we-oo, we-oo, we-oo. 



. .?;;:, Whe-lew, whe-tew. whe-oo, whee-oo. 

 , , 3. We-oo, we-oo, we-oo, we-oo, we-oo. 



4. Lhitikew, chitikew, lie-weet. he-wei"'t. 



5. Tshew, tshew, tshew, tshew, Ishew. 



6. Who-y ? who-y ? who-y ? who-y ? 



7. i5ird-ie, bird-ie, bird-ie, tshew, ts]i(;w. tshew, tshew. 

 S. l')ird-ie, bird-ie, bird-ie. bird-ie. 



Ily the merest j^^ood luck 1 found one day ho\v the carthnal i^ot his red beak. 

 Secreting myself in a log pile I imitated the notes of the screech owl — a favorite 

 method of securing a muster of the local bird population. True to life a cardinal 

 came charging uj) in great haste. !'.etween his mandibles was a half-eaten wahoo- 

 bcrry from which the rich red juice was flowing, staining the bird's bill com- 

 pletely and running down upon his breast. The suggestion might lead further. 

 but 1 do not i)ress it. 



The cardinal is first of all gramni\-or()Us ; l)ut this term must be understood 

 to cover the consumption of weed-seeds of many sorts, including some hard- 

 coated specimens which few other birds are aljle to crack open. Insects are also 

 eaten freely, and berries "in season." If encouraged the bird will glean about 

 our premises in winter, haunting the grape trellis and garden, and roosting, it- 

 ma\- be, in the arbor vitac. ridie young are fed from the first week b)' regurgita- 

 tion, but after that the ])arents supply them grain and insects directly or assist 

 them in cracking seeds. 



.\fter the robin the cardinal's nest is the easiest to find, and perhaps the 

 most common. Xests are usuall\' ])laced low in bushes, or at moderate heights in 

 thickets and sa])lings. (Jrape-\ine tangles and porch trellises are faxorite places, 

 and occasionally nests are saddled u])on horizontal limbs of trees. 



In construction the nest varies froiu tidy to disreputable, according to skill 

 and season. .\ typical one is com])ose(l e.\.ternall\" of long stiff v.eeds and leaf 

 stems, and measures roughly seven inches across, with an extreme of thirteen 

 inches. Xext comes a mat of dead lea\es. mostly l)eech. Inside this in turn is a 

 tough basket wf)rk of grape-vine bark and a lining of fine fresh grass cured in the 

 nest. It measures, inside, three and ;i (|uarter inelu's in width and two and a 

 half in depth. 



The c^^^s are (juite xariabK-; e\in tho-^e in the ^ame nest are hard to reconcile, 

 both as to sha])e and markings. Ilecause of the similarity in appearance, cowbirds' 

 eggs are easilv imjjosed upon the cardinal. Professor Jones and 1 once found a 

 nest with the bird on whose three eggs wiTe to the best of oiu" judgment die 

 ooml)ined products of as many cowbirds. 



The young hatch out in about fourteen days, ;ind are ready to leave the ne^t 

 in ten days more. The father is es])ecially devoted to his otTspring. and often 

 cares for them whik- tlie fem.de is busv with another nest. 



177 



