NESTS AND EGGS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



242. Cardinal Grosbeak — cardinalis virginianus. White, generally 

 thickly marked with spots of ashy or reddish-brown and faint lavender 

 tints, sometimes so thickly marked that litile of the ground is seen. They 

 resemble very closely the eggs of the common Cowbird; are usually four 

 in number, very rarely five, and measure from ,98 to i.io in length, and 

 .78 to .80 in breadth. The Redbird is not migratory, and is distributed 

 throughout the eastern part of United States from the latitude of Ohio 

 southward. The nest of this bird is placed in a variety of situations, usu- 

 ally from three to ten feet from the ground. A dense thicket is, however, 

 the favorite nesting site. I have found the nest placed on the top 

 rail of a fence in the midst of a clump of brambles. Dr. Wheaton, 

 in his "Report on the Birds of Ohio," mentions finding it "on the 

 top of vine-covered stumps, in wild-gooseberry bushes overhanging water, 

 and in brush-heaps." He farther says: " I have found the nest ready for 

 the reception of eggs as early as April 17." It is a loose structure 

 made of slender twigs, stems, grass, and a few leaves, lined with fine root- 

 lets and grasses, sometimes with horse hair. 



Hab. Eastern United States; west to Kansas, Nebraska, aud I'exas; north to the Middle States; rare in 

 New York, casual in Connecticut, accidental in Massachusetts; represented by varieties in the Southwest. 



242^. Saint Lucas Cardinal — cardinalis virginianus igneus. Eggs 

 and nesting habits similar to those of the preceding species. 



Hab. Valley of the Colorado and Gila and Lower California. 



243. Texan Cardinal — pyrrhuloxia sinuata. Chalky-white, with 

 blotches of a light umber-brown and a number of indistinct markings of 

 purple; the spots vary greatly in size and distribution; four is the usual 

 number; size i. by .80. In Texas, on the Rio Grande, this Cardinal is resi- 

 dent throughout the year. In the vicinity of Fort Brown, Dr. Merrill says 

 of it: "At times abundant, particularly in the spring, it often escaped 

 observation for months, and although it probably breeds here, I was un- 

 able to find any nests." The bird frequents thickets where it places the 

 nest, composed of twigs, stems, and rootlets, lined with finer materials of 



the same. Hab. Valley of the Rio Grande of Texas to Lower California. 



244. Rose-breasted Grosbeak — zamelodia ludoviciana. Greenish- 

 white, more or less spotted over the entire surface with blotches of reddish- 

 brown ; the eggs resemble very closely those of the Summer Redbird or 

 Scarlet Tanager ; usually four in number; size from .95 to 1.08 in length by 

 .70 to .76 in breadth. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak has a widely extended 

 distribution during the summer months, although it is nowhere very abun- 

 dant. Found as far to the east as Nova Scotia ; to the north as the valley 

 of the Saskatchewan; and to the west as Nebraska. Breeds from the 



