AVERY BIRD COLLECTION 93 
No. 290. Male. Greensboro. Dec. 2, 1889. W. C. Avery. 
No. 1001. Female. Baldwin Co. Oct. 1, 1892. W. C. Avery. 
No. 1090. Male. Greensboro. Oct. 25, 1893. W. C. Avery. 
145. CARDINALIS CARDINALIS CARDINALIS (Linnezus). 
CARDINAL. 
“Redbird.” 
Considering how common and easily accessible are the 
nests of the redbird about the thickets and brier-patches 
in spring, it is not surprising that Dr. Avery should col- 
lect a set of eggs before taking the bird itself. The fol- 
lowing is taken from his early “Oological Register.” : 
“No. 2. Nest of Cardinal Grosbeak (Red-bird)—Car- 
dinalis virginianus—27th May, 1876. I discovered, by 
the twitterings of the parent birds, this nest in a black- 
berry vine. ‘The cardinal builds its nest on trees or 
shrubs near the ground. This nest contained three eggs, 
the whole ‘clutch.’ I waited several days after I found 
it; expecting the old bird to lay another egg;; but finding 
her constantly on the nest, I became aware that she was 
sitting.” 
The small number of eggs laid by the cardinal seems 
to have interested the Doctor, for in 1899 he published 
the following under the title ‘“Number of Eggs in a Set 
of the Cardinal.” : 
“In Hale county, Alabama, three eggs constitute a com- 
plete set of the cardinal. More than three have never 
been found by me, nor by any one else whom I know in 
this locality. Dr. J. M. Pickett of Cedarville, Alabama, 
has had the same experience as myself; he has never col- 
lected a set of more than three of the cardinal, although 
he has taken many sets. 
“The cardinal is one of our commonest birds, nesting 
from early in April till September, and therefore produc- 
ing more than one set. This bird may lay fewer eggs 
to the set than in localities farther north, where the 
nesting period is short, and where one set may be the 
usual number. 
“Davie in Nests and Eggs of North American Birds 
says that the red-eyed vireo lays three or four eggs; in 
this latitude it lays only three. Having, like the cardinal, 
