THB CARDINAL BIBD. 65 



fariety of their notes, which, both in a wild and domestia 

 Btate, are very various and musical : many of them resemble 

 the high notes of a fife, and are nearly as loud. They are 

 in song from March to September, beginning at the first 

 appearance of dawn, and repeating a favourite stanza, or 

 passage, twenty or thirty times successively; sometimes, 

 with little intermission, 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 Ked-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 favourite. 



The Cardinal Bird is eight inches long, and eleven 

 in extent. The whole upper parts are a dusky red, except 

 the sides of the neck and the head, which, as well as 

 all the lower parts, are bright vermilion, and chin and front 

 black. The head is ornamented with a pointed crest, which 

 may be raised or lowered at pleasure. The beak is red, 

 thick and strong. The female is smaller, but nearly as 

 brilliant in plumage, and sings nearly as well as the male. 



ILLUSTRATIVE ANECDOTES. 



The opinion which so generally prevails in England (says 

 Wilson) that the music of the groves and woods of America 

 la far inferior to that of Europe, I, who have a thousand 

 limes listened to both, cannot admit to be correct. We 

 tannot with fairness draw a comparison between the depth 



