NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. 



273 



593. Cardinal. Cardinalis cardinalis. 



Range. Eastern United States, north to New York and Illinois, west to the 

 Plains and Texas. Resident in most of its range. 



These beautiful fiery red and crested songsters are one of 

 the most attractive of our birds, and in their range, nest 

 about habitations as freely as among the thickets and scrubby 

 brush of wood or hillside. Their nests are rarely placed 

 higher than ten feet from the ground in bushes, brambles, 

 vines, brush piles or trees; they are loosely made of twigs, 

 coarse grasses and weeds, shreds of bark, leaves, etc., and 

 lined with fine grass or hair. They frequently lay two or 

 three sets of eggs a season, the first being completed usual- 

 ly early in May; three or four, and sometimes five, white or pale bluish white 

 eggs are laid; they are very varied in markings but usually profusely spotted, 

 more heavily at the large end, with reddish brown and lavender. Size 1.00 x .70. 

 593a. Arizona Cardinal. C. c. superbus. 



Range. Northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona. 



A larger and more rosy form of the Cardinal. Its eggs cannot be distinguished 

 from those of the eastern Redbird. 

 593b. Saint Lucas Cardinal. C. c. igneus. 



Range. Southern Lower California. 



Like the last but smaller and with less black on the forehead; eggs the same. 



[Bluish white.) 



Photo by Paul K. Powell. 



NEST OF CARDINAL. 



19 



