THE CARDINAL 255 



can not be content to allow a bird to live. Its very happi- 

 ness seems to grate on such souls. The more rare and 

 beautiful a bird is the more determined they are to kill it. 

 That was the only wild cardinal I ever saw in Iowa, though 

 once some twenty years later I heard one whistle in the 

 deep woods. Now they are more common there. 



These birds are found in abundance throughout the 

 South, as far north as Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. They 

 are rare in New York, Pennsylvania and New England. 

 They range westward almost to the Eocky Mountains, a few 

 having been seen even in Colorado and South Dakota. 

 They are easily recognized, being our only red bird with a 

 topknot. The female is slightly smaller than the male, 

 and is of a reddish brown color. They are grosbeaks, and 

 have the stout beak of this group. We have several gros- 

 beaks, all having stout bills, broad and thick at the base, 

 and of only moderate length. This characteristic is so well 

 marked that if you familiarize yourself with one you 

 should find it easy to recognize the other members of the 

 group. 



When about fifteen years ago I moved to Tennessee, I 

 found cardinals abundant everywhere and have had the 

 opportunity to become well acquainted with them. They 

 do not migrate, but stay all winter in the vicinity of their 

 nesting place. There is no more beautiful sight than a 

 flock of cardinals on a snowy day. At that time a half 

 dozen or more are often found together in fence rows or 

 on the border of woods, feeding on weed seed or buck- 

 brush berries. Their brilliant color makes such a contrast 

 with the snow that they can be seen a long distance. At 

 no time are they more active or apparently more happy 

 than then. 



