15 



English. Saint Luca.'i Cardinal. Cape Cardinal. Fiery Cardinal and 

 Arizona Cardinal. 



Habitat. North- Western America. Lower California. Arizona, and 

 AVestern Mexico. 



Cardinalis igneus, Baird. 

 Male. Similar to C. virginianus, but not larger ; the biU is more powerful, with culmen 

 greatly curved ; the black frontal band not so decided, and divided by the culmen ; the 

 black of the cliin and throat less extended ; general colour paler, with a greater tinge of 

 pink : length 8-5, wing 3-85, tail 4-5, tars. 1-0, culm. 07. 



Female. Similar to the female of C. virginianus, but with the underparts pale ashy -grey. 



Young. Similar to the female, but duller ; " bill deep black " {Baird). 



Cardinalis superbus, Ridgw. 

 Male. Similar, the vermilion of the crest, cheeks and underparts much purer ; the brick- 

 red of the back paler : length 8-65, wing 3-7, tail 4-6, tars. 1-0, culm. 07. 



Female. Similar to female of C. igneus with the back dark ashy-grey ; and general 

 colours brighter. 



Obser. The species, or varieties, above described, may readily be separated, from the more 

 southern forms, by their less brilliant colours, and more powerful bills, the black frontal 

 band being divided by the culmen. This bird is so closely allied to C. virginianus, 

 that I have considered a plate of it unnecessary. 



We are indebted to Mr. John Xanthus for our first acquaintance with this 

 north-western Cardinal, which was characterised by Professor Spencer F. 

 Baird in 1859, and which I now propose to distinguish from all the other 

 races by the appellation of Baird's Cardinal, in honour of the describer ; 

 the name Fiery Cardinal being more appropriate for one of the southern 

 varieties. 



From the material connected with the habits of this bird, I find they 

 closely resemble those of the Virginian Nightingale ; however, I subjoin the 

 most interesting details from Messrs. Baird, Brewer and Ridgway's 

 ' History of the Birds of North America.' They say : " There appears to be 

 nothing in the habits of this form of Cardinal, as far as known, to distin- 

 guish it from the Virginian bird ; the nest and eggs, too, being almost 

 identical. Tlie latter average about 1 inch in lenjrth and 0*80 in breadth. 

 Their ground-colour is white, with a bluish tint. Their markings are 



