364 SINGING BIRDS. 



wild solitudes which prevail over the Southern States, and bid, 

 as I thought, perhaps an eternal adieu to the sweet voice of my 

 charming companions, what was my surprise and pleasure, on 

 the 7 th of May, to hear, for the first time in this State, and in 

 the Botanic Garden, above an hour together, the lively and 

 loud song of this exquisite vocalist, whose voice rose above 

 every rival of the feathered race, and rung almost in echoes 

 through the blooming grove in which he had chosen his re- 

 treat. In the Southern States, where these birds everywhere 

 breed, they become familiarly attached to gardens, which, as 

 well as cornfields, afford them a ready means of subsistence ; 

 they are also fond of the seeds of most of the orchard fruits, 

 and are said occasionally to prey upon bees. 



The lay of the Cardinal is a loud, mellow, and pleasingly 

 varied whistle, delivered with ease and energy for a consider- 

 able time together. To give it full effect, he chooses the sum- 

 mit of some lofty branch, and elevating his melodious voice in 

 powerful as well as soothing and touching tones, he listens, 

 delighted as it were, with the powers of his own music, at 

 intervals answered and encouraged by the tender responses of 

 his mate. It is thus the gilded hours of his existence pass 

 away in primeval delight, until care and necessity break in 

 upon his contemplative reveries, and urge him again to pursue 

 the sober walks of active life. 



The song of the Redbird, like that of so many others, 

 though possessed of great originality, often consists in part of 

 favorite borrowed and slightly altered phrases. It would be 

 a difficult and fruitless task to enumerate all the native notes 

 delivered by this interesting songster ; a few may be perhaps 

 excused by those who wish, in their rural walks, to be made, in 

 any way, acquainted with the language of the feathered vocal- 

 ists that surround them. All the tones of the Cardinal are 

 whistled much in the manner of the human voice. Late in 

 February, while travelling in Alabama, I heard one crying 

 woolit, wolit wolit wolit, then in a quicker tone butsh biitsh 

 butsh hiitsh, and Ushooway tshooway tshooway. At another 

 time the song was ^wit a' wit, ^feu; then tshevi tsheve 'fei'i, 



