312 FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 



mother, hopping about in great excitement, and appearing to think 

 the whole world thirsting for the life of his pretty little ones. 



The Cardinal mother shows the restless manners and anxious spirit 

 of her mate, taking one's intrusion upon her domestic affairs greatly 

 to heart, and being so much disturbed that there is more pain than 

 pleasure in making acquaintance with her nestlings. 



Olive Thorne Miller. 



595. Ha<bia» lud.Ovicia<na> (Zf/?)^.). Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Ad. 

 i. — Head, throat, and back black; breast and under wing-coverts bright 

 rose-red, this color sometimes extending down the center of the white belly ; 

 rump white, tipped with black ; wings black ; primaries white at the base ; 

 tail black, the outer feathers tipped with white on the inner web. Ad. 9 . — 

 Upper parts grayish brown, margined with cream-buft" and pale grayish 

 brown; a butty line through the center of the crown, and a conspicuous 

 whitish line over the eye; wings and tail dark grayish brown; wing- coverts 

 tipped with white; under wing-coverts orange ; under parts buft'y, streaked 

 with dark grayish brown. Im. 3 . — Resembles the 9 , but has the under 

 wing-coverts rose-red. L., 8-12 ; W., 4-02 ; T., 2-99 ; B., -69. 



Range. — Eastern North America; breeds from eastern Kansas and the 

 higher altitudes of Virginia and North Carolina northward to Maine and 

 Manitoba ; winters in Central and South America. 



Washington, rather common T. V., May 1 to 20; Aug. 25 to Oct. 1. Sing 

 Sing, tolerably conmion S. E., May 3 to Oct. 1. Cambridge, common S. E., 

 May 10 to Sept. 10. 



Nest.^ of tine twigs, weed stalks, and rootlets, in bashes or trees, live to 

 twenty feet up. Eggs.^ four to live, pale blue, with numerous olive-brown or 

 rufous-brown markings, -90 x -69. 



Sometimes in passing through young second growths, and more 

 rarely densely undergrown woodland, I hear a singular kind of ques- 

 tioning call-note, not loud, but distinct — a steely peek, peek. It is a 

 signal to me to pause and look for its author; even a glimpse of him 

 is worth several minutes' waiting and watching. There is no mistak- 

 ing his black, white, and rose costume; but the identity of his more 

 modestly attired mate may long remain an open question. So little 

 does she resemble him that she might pass for an overgrown Sparrow 

 with a rather conspicuous whitish stripe over her eye. 



The song of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak is generally compared to 

 that of the Robin, and musical annotation would doubtless show that 

 the comparison is not misleading. But the similarity is largely one of 

 form ; in expression there is no more resemblance in their voices than 

 there is between the birds themselves. There is an exquisite purity in 

 the joyous carol of the Grosbeak ; his song tells of all the gladness of 

 a May morning ; I have heard few happier strains of bird music. 

 With those who are deaf to its message of good cheer I can only sym- 



