io8 THE BIRDS ABOUT Us. 



"They are in song from March to September, beginning at the 

 first appearance of dawn, and repeating a favorite stanza, or passage, 

 twenty or thirty times successively ; sometimes with little intermis- 

 sion for a whole morning together ; which, like a good story too often 

 repeated, becomes at length tiresome and insipid. But the sprightly 

 figure and gaudy plumage of the Red-bird, his vivacity, strength of 

 voice, and actual variety of note, and the little expense with which 

 he is kept, will always make him a favorite." 



They are every whit as much in song the other 

 months. They are, as a matter of fact, never out of 

 it. Mute, indeed ! I have seen many a score of them, 

 singly, of course, when the ground was completely 

 covered with snow, perched upon a low shrub, whis- 

 tling so clearly and loudly that they could be heard 

 in the house with the windows closed. A bright 

 sunny morning after a snow-storm seemed always to 

 be a favorite time with them, and the whole range 

 of their songs would be performed at a single sitting. 

 As a winter bird they are a superb success. 



From April to October they lead a commonplace 

 life, a well-behaved sparrow and nothing more. Of 

 course their bright plumage makes them conspicu- 

 ous, and they are themselves aware of this, for they 

 are ever on the alert and flit out of sight at the 

 slightest hint of danger. Of course a thick tangle 

 of greenbrier is a great protection, and I have often 

 wondered why they did not nest in them instead of 

 in more exposed places, for I have found many nests 

 that were of easy access. 



A condition not common to the sparrows obtains 

 among the Cardinals, that of the females being ex- 

 cellent singers and much given to exercising their 

 powers. But they are not the equals of their lords 



