10 



been brought to Europe alive and in skin from Brazil, but more plentifully 

 from Babia. The latter locality appears to be its true home, although its 

 (li.stril)ution is very extensive, inhabiting as it does the whole of the great 

 forest-bound coast of Brazil, extending its range into the interior as far 

 south-west as Paraguay. 



The bright plumage, its attractive liveliness and sharp call-notes 

 (although destitute of a song), will always recommend it to lovers of cage- 

 birds. It is a hardy bird, and easily kept on various seeds. 



Maximilian Prinz zu Wied tells us in his ' Beitriige zur Naturgeschichte 

 von Brasilien ' : " This beautiful bird is very well known and is often kept 

 in cages. Among tlie many specimens I saw, I found very few irregularities, 

 whilst, according to the age of the bird, the red on the head is sometimes 

 more pure, beautiful, and extensive, sometimes less so ; the back more or 

 less spotted wdth black, and the underside and edges of the wings, which 

 were pure and shining white in old birds, were of an impure or yellowish 

 tint in the young ones. 



" I observed this bird first in the open part of the town of Bahia ; it is 

 met with, however, in the central regions of Brazil down to Paraguay, 

 accordino- to Azara. 



" These birds are not rare at Bahia ; they are simple, quiet creatures, 

 witli a clear call-note and a little twittering song. In that region they are 

 often kept in cages, wherein they thrive, the food being groimd rice and 

 maize. At Bahia, and also among the Spaniards in Paraguay, the name is 

 Cardinal.'''' 



Mr. W. A. Forbes, who devoted much time to the birds of North- 

 eastern Brazil, says : — " I found the Red-headed Cardmal common at 

 Parahyba, and again saw it in the neighbourhood of Garanhuns, so that it 

 occurs all over the district I traversed. It is usually seen singly or in 

 pairs in the more or less cleared and open ground near cultivation. ]\Iany 

 dozens are brought into the market at Recife to sell as cage-birds. The 

 Brazilians call it ' Gallo da campina.'' " 



According to Dr. Max Schmidt, this bird has been known to live 

 thirteen to fourteen years in confinement. 



Although my researches for details respecting these binls extend over 

 nineteen years, I have been unable to find any reliable inforu;ation concern- 

 ing the nidification of this sj^ccies in a wild state. 



