294 BIEDS OF ILLINOIS. 



the brush-piles, the brambles, and the thicket, with a nervous, 

 sparrow-like movement, its tail being often thrown up, after the 

 manner of the Chat or Wren. Frequently it calls out chewiiik, or 

 towhee, with a sharp and somewhat prolonged aspirate on the sec- 

 ond syllable, thus rendering either of these words, which have 

 become its common names, very distinctly ; but in order to get the 

 exact effect, the words must be pronounced just so, — with just such 

 an emphasis and intonation." ("Our Birds in their Haunts," pp. 

 677, 578.) 



Genus CARDINALIS Bonapaete. 



Cardinalis Bonapakte, P. Z. S. 1837, U. Type, Loxia cardinalis Linn. 



"Gen. Char. Bill enormously large; culmen very slightly curved, oommissui'e sinu- 

 ated; lower Jaw broader than the length of the gonys, considerably wider than the upper 

 jaw, about as deep as the latter. Tarsi longer than middle toe ; outer toe rather the 

 longer, reaching a little beyond the base oT the middle one ; hind too not so long. Wings 

 moderate, reaching over the basal third of the exposed part of the tail. Four outer quills, 

 graduated ; the ilrst equal to the secondaries. Tail long, decidedly longer than the wings, 

 considerably graduated; feathers broad, truncated a little obliquely at the end, the cor- 

 ners rounded. Color red [in adult male]. Head crested. 



"The essential characters of this geiras are the crested head; 

 very large and thick bill, extending far back on the forehead, and 

 only moderately curved above ; tarsus longer than middle toe ; much 

 graduated wings, the first primary equal to the secondary quills ; 

 the long tail exceeding the wings, broad and much graduated at 

 the end." {Hist. N. Am. B.) 



Only one species in eastern North America, and none in the 

 west, excejjt along the southern border, where two geographical races, 

 C. cardinalis superhus, Eidgw., and C. igneus, Baird, occur in Arizona 

 and at Cape St. Lucas respectively. In eastern Mexico C. virginia- 

 nus coccineus, Eidgw., replaces C. cardinalis proper and C. superbus, 

 the latter, however, being the only form in western Mexico. A second 

 species, C. carneus, Less., belongs to the western coast of Central 

 America (Acapulco to Eealejo), while a third, C. phoeniceus, Gould, 

 is found in northern South America. 



