saturatm from Cozumel, having the capistrum quite black, exactly the 

 opposite extreme from Cardinalis cardiiialis igneus." I may say the 

 examples of Card. var. coccineus, from Yucatan and Southern Mexico most 

 resemble the Cozumel bird, while those found in Bermuda are similar to 

 the birds of the Alleghany Mountains. 



The most north-western bird Cardinalis igneus (Baird), is undoubtedly 

 the largest and most powerful billed bird of all the comparatively closely 

 allied varieties ; therefore, I shall retain it as distinct, placing Mr. 

 Ridgway's very beautiful variety Cardinalis var. superhus with it, although 

 the bill does not appear so robust as that of the former bird. I 

 think the present bird in its wild state is an extraordinary illus- 

 tration of the Darwinian principle, variability of a single race, 

 gradually developing into no less than six or seven remarkably well 

 defined races, this and the Textors of Africa are worthy of further study 

 on this point. 



The name Virginian Nightingale was according to "Willughby (who 

 wrote his Ornithology 1676 and translated by John Ray in 1678) given to 

 this songster by the earliest settlers in Virginia, the appellation Red-bird 

 appears to be of equal antiquity, although little used. Dr. Latham in his 

 ' General Synopsis,' published in 1783, calls it the Cardinal Grosbeak and 

 observes, " This species is met with in several parts of North America, 

 and has attained the name of Nightingale deservedly, having a remarkably 

 fine song not unlike that of the last named bird ; in spring, and part of 

 the summer, it sits on the tops of the highest trees singing early in the 

 morning, so loud as almost to pierce the ears ; is frequently kept in cages, 

 in which it sometimes sings the year through, and the female is not greatly 

 inferior to the male in respect of song." And in his ' General History of 

 Birds,' 1822, he continues, " It generally comes into New York and the 

 Jerseys the beginning of April; frequents the Magnolia Swamps 

 during the summer, departing towards Carolina in autumn : although 

 pretty numerous, it is not gregarious, rarely more than three or four 

 being met with together : remains in Georgia and Pennsylvania the whole 

 year." 



Alexander Wilson observes, " from the clearness and variety of their 



