The Delightful Hobby of Bird Watching [ 55 



for it by eating beetles, caterpillars, and slugs all of them menaces 

 to gardens, orchards, and grainfields. 



CARDINALS FOR COLOR 



You can recognize a male cardinal as easily as the crow, 

 for it is almost as intensely red (the color we associate with 

 cardinals of the Church) as the crow is black. There are very 

 few red birds in North America, and the cardinal is the only one 

 with a crest. Even its heavy bill is red, though around the base 

 there is a patch of black that extends back through its eyes and 





THE COLORFUL CARDINAL 



The male cardinal is an eye-filling red from bill to tall tip, with the exception of 

 a touch of black at his big, efficient-looking beak. His "windswept" crest makes 

 him even more conspicuous. In wintertime he presents a colorful contrast to snowy 

 landscapes. But his musical call makes him a welcome visitor in any season. 



