2?irb=1lore 



A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE 



DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS 



Official Organ of The Audubon Societies 



Vol XVIII September— October, 1916 No. 5 



Cardinals Through the Year 



By MRS. ROBERT G STEELE, Melmore Ohio 



FOR many years the Cardinals have been about our place, coming for 

 food in winter and sometimes staying for part of the summer to nest. 

 They remained throughout the year 1914, giving a good opportunity to 

 study them at close range. 



About thirty feet from the house — overlooked by the south windows of 

 the living-rooms — is a boundary of trees, shrubbery and flowers, dividing 

 the yard from a bit of pasture that runs back into open fields — the home of 

 Bobolinks, Larks, and sometimes Quail. 



Along this fence-row are small cherry trees, a decaying old pear tree, some 

 small cedars, barberry bushes, upright honeysuckle, with its bright berries in 

 midsummer, and wild roses — their seed-vessels remaining far into winter; all 

 these, with vines and thorns, make a tangle attractive to birds. 



Baths in summer and food all through the year bring many feathered 

 visitors. No day is without its bird interest; however, that is another story 

 with this same stage setting. 



For some time before the new year, a pair of Cardinals had been about the 

 place daily. The notebook says- "On New Year's Eve, a Screech Owl drove the 

 male from his regular roost, in porch vines, to the window-sill, taking him down 

 into the snow before being driven off. 



"A drop of blood on his head was the only sign of injury. The following 

 morning, five Cardinals were feeding where only two had fed before, so we 

 believe he survived his adventure." 



The pair continued to come as soon as light in the morning, for food, 

 remaining about during the day, and, after a time, one or the other, never 

 together, to roost in the porch vines. There was always much 'talk' over 

 going to roost and before leaving in the morning, usually keeping up until 

 the mate came to the feed-board. 



Deep snow and severe weather brought others during the middle of the 



