BIRDS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 329 



clear, and very agreeable song. It leaves lis for the south in 

 October, and returns in April, the males coming first, as if to 

 make the necessary preparations. In autumn the case is re- 

 versed, and the females lead in the migration. There is some- 

 times a fortnight between. 



Wilson praises the address with which the ground-robin 

 conceals the place of its nest ; but it seems to depend almost 

 entirely on its resemblance to the ground about it, to secure it 

 from unfriendly observers. It is sunk a little below the sur- 

 face, sometimes under the shelter of a small bush, and is made 

 of such materials as come most readily to hand, such as strips 

 of bark and withered grass, with a lining either of fine grass 

 or the fallen leaves of a pine. The eggs are four or five, of 

 a soft white, spotted with reddish brown. The old birds are 

 very anxious for the safety of their young, and practise the 

 usual arts to draw the intruder from their nest. 



The Cardinal Grosbeak, Fringilla cardinalis, cannot be 

 considered as one of our birds, though its occasional visits re- 

 quire its insertion in our list. It is seen, but only at irregular 

 intervals, in the villages on Connecticut river. Wherever the 

 celebrated red-bird appears, it attracts attention, not only by 

 its splendid plumage, but its bold and beautiful song. 



The Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Fringilla Ludoviciana, sup- 

 plies the place of the cardinal, rivalling that fine bird in beauty 

 and surpassing it in song. It is difficult to determine at what 

 time its visits to us are paid. It is seen here sometimes before 

 the snow has left the ground, and is met with at intervening 

 periods till midsummer ; as this is the time for incubation, it 

 must rear its young in some places not distant, certainly, if 

 not within our bounds. At the latter part of the summer, our 

 gardens are frequented by the young in great numbers, and 

 bitter complaints are made, with or without reason, of their 

 depredations on the peas. Near the sea-shore they are much 

 less common than in the interior ; in some years, it is rare in 

 all parts of the State. 

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