THH DOMINICAN CARDINAL. 71 



THE DOMINICAN CARDINAL. 



Paroaria larvata, BODD. 



ALSO called "Pope" by dealers: though it would be difficult to 

 say why it should have a greater claim to that title, than the 

 other red-headed species. P. larvata is a native of Brazil and nearly 

 resembles P. cucullata excepting in the absence of a crest : its head, 

 chin, and throat are scarlet, the hind-margin of the ear-coverts black ; 

 the back of the neck white with broad black edges to the feathers ; 

 remainder of upper surface slate-grey ; but the feathers of the mantle 

 edged with black ; the wing and primary coverts black ; the flight 

 feathers and upper tail coverts black, edged with grey ; the tail feathers 

 blackish, fringed externally towards the base with grey and tipped with 

 white ; outer rectrices brown ; sides of neck and whole under surface 

 of body pure white ; the sides and flanks stained with greyish ; under 

 surface of wings and tail greyish white ; upper mandible dark brown, 

 lower mandible yellow, brown at tip ; legs blackish ; iris hazel. 



The hen resembles the cock ; but the primaries have narrower 

 white edges to the outer webs and the beak is longer, with less arched 

 culnien : the young bird is much browner in colouring, with the 

 scarlet of the head and throat replaced by a cinnamon tint. 



This very abundant and beautiful Cardinal is a favourite cage-bird 

 among the Brazilians, and formerly was imported in considerable 

 numbers into this country ; but of late years the importation of this 

 species seems to have greatly fallen off, though it still arrives occasion- 

 ally ; I purchased a specimen in February, 1894, and had a second 

 specimen given to me in 1895. 



According to Maximilian Prinz zu Wied, " These birds are not 

 rare at Bahia ; they are very simple, quiet creatures, with a clear call- 

 note and a little twittering song. In that region they are often kept 

 in cages, wherein they thrive, the food being ground rice and maize. 

 At Bahia, and also among the Spaniards in Paraguay, the name is 

 Cardinal." 



Mr W. A. Forbes, speaking of this species as observed by him 

 at Pernambuco, says "It is usually seen singly or in pairs in the 



