CHAPTER XXIII. 



REMINISCENCES. 



IN my first ornithological studies in Northern Ohio, the 

 most charming bird of all which attracted my attention 

 was the Cardinal Grosbeak (Cardinalis virginianus.) Through- 

 out the winter, almost every patch of woods near a corn- 

 field of the year before contained a pair male and female 

 but never more than a pair in the same vicinity. Indeed, 

 the species seemed much more common in winter than in 

 summer, and so was a sort of large, gay snow-bird. On 

 approaching its haunt, I was advised of its presence by its 

 loud, sharp, chipping note, quite distinguishable from any 

 other sound in the woods. About eight inches long, and 

 most elegantly formed, the most noticeable features of the 

 Cardinal are the rather long and somewhat rounded tail, 

 and the beautiful crest. The bright vermilion of the male 

 the upper parts darker, and the feathers of the back fringed 

 with bluish-ash renders him a most conspicuous object in 

 the leafless trees and the snowy landscape. From a nearer 

 point of view, the jet-black of his chin, front and lores, and 

 the roseate tint of his thick bill, set him off to fine advan- 

 tage. Every movement is elevated and stately. In form, 

 color and motion, he is the very ideal of elegance and 

 beauty. In form and gracefulness, the female is his exact 

 counterpart. Of a fine yellowish drab on the breast and 

 sides, and dusky-olive over the back; her crest, wings and 



