108 THE Birps Asout Us. 
‘They are in song from March to September, beginning at the 
first appearance of dawn, and repeating a favorite stanza, or passage, 
twenty or thirty times successively; sometimes with little intermis- 
sion for a whole morning together ; which, like a good story too often 
repeated, becomes at length tiresome and insipid. But the sprightly 
figure and gaudy plumage of the Red-bird, his vivacity, strength of 
voice, and actual variety of note, and the little expense with which 
he is kept, will always make him a favorite.” 
They are every whit as much in song the other 
months. They are, as a matter of fact, never out of 
it. Mute, indeed! I have seen many a score of them, 
singly, of course, when the ground was completely 
covered with snow, perched upon a low shrub, whis- 
tling so clearly and loudly that they could be heard 
in the house with the windows closed. A_ bright 
sunny morning after a snow-storm seemed always to 
be a favorite time with them, and the whole range 
of their songs would be performed at a single sitting. 
As a winter bird they are a superb success. 
From April to October they lead a commonplace 
life,—a well-behaved sparrow and nothing more. Of 
course their bright plumage makes them conspicu- 
ous, and they are themselves aware of this, for they 
are ever on the alert and flit out of sight at the 
slightest hint of danger. Of course a thick tangle 
of greenbrier is a great protection, and I have often 
wondered why they did not nest in them instead of 
in more exposed places, for I have found many nests 
that were of easy access. 
A condition not common to the sparrows obtains 
among the Cardinals, that of the females being ex- 
cellent singers and much given to exercising their 
powers. But they are not the equals of their lords 
