134 Capt. G.Battigan — Nesting Notes on the Yellow -billed Cardinal


On having nest the plumage is roughly as follows : Above, greyish;

the feathers of the back tipped light brown ; head, dark greyish-

brown ; sides of head, rufous ; throat, same colour, but of a paler,

more washed-out tint, a sort of fawn which extends slightly into the

breast ; sides of neck, pure white, tapering to the nape, where it

merges into the greyish-brown of the back ; wing coverts and tail

feathers, black ; feet, light brown ; bill, upper mandible, blackish-

brown, under, light horn colour ; the thighs show no trace of the black

of the adult.


Clutch. — Three. Eggs olive-green, densely streaked with dark

(amber) brown. Size appears to be about the same as that of the

Red-crested Cardinal, and large for the size of the bird.


Nest. — Very compact and strongly made, and composed of the

wing twigs of the maidenhair bush, lined with a little fine grass and

pampas grass. The nest exactly resembles that of the Red-crest's

built in the same aviary, and is composed of practically the same

materials, save that the Red-crests added a little cow-hair as an inner

lining, but it is much more strongly and compactly put together.


Incubation period thirteen days, and young left nest in thirteen days.

Fending for itself.— Commenced to pick up tit-bits on its own on

the eleventh day after quitting the nest, and was entirely on its own

two days later. Commenced to eat coached hemp and sunflower seeds

fifteen days after leaving the nest, and was actually singing on the

3rd July, or twenty-three days from leaving the nest.


Song. — The song of these birds I find quite pleasing, but very weak

and low, and whilst the hen was incubating the cock frequently regaled

her with what might be termed a " whisper " song. This song was

sometimes quite inaudible, to human ears at any rate, but was accom-

panied by a rather envious display, during which the cock raises the red

feathers at the crown of the head, and spreads out the feathers of the

tail like a fan. Incidentally I note that Butler, in the work already

referred to, states that this bird cannot raise the red feathering on the

head at will. This is, however, incorrect, for the cocks, at any rate,

can and frequently do raise these feathers when excited. The young

bird, which is very tame, often displays to me in this way, generally

after lie has had his ration of mealworms, and I have no doubt it



