CHAPTER II. 



January 1 January 7. 



THE CARDINAL. 



Order, Passeres Suborder Oscines 



Family, Fringillidse Genus, Cardinalis 



Species, Cardinalis cardinalis 



Length 7.50 to 9.25 ; wing, 3.55 to 4.00 ; tail, 3.90 to 4.60. 

 Permanent Resident. 



"How oft our trust, most deep and true, 

 Clings to some redbird's winter strait^ 



Who knew unknowing why he knew, 



That long lost Spring would come again." 



The family Fringillidse, to which the cardinal belongs, is 

 composed of the finches, sparrows, grosbeaks, and cross-bills. It 

 is our largest family of birds, having in it about five hundred 

 and fifty species, or about one-seventh of the entire number. 

 Members of it are found in all parts of the world except Aus- 

 tralia. They present a wide diversity of form and habit, but 

 generally are alike in possessing stout, conical bills, which are 

 well adapted to crushing seeds. They are our chief seed eat- 

 ers and among our most useful birds. Because of their seed- 

 eating habits they are not so migratory as the insect-eating 

 species. Generally they are fine songsters. 



The bill of the adult male cardinal is of a brilliant coralline 

 color, very thick and powerful for breaking hard grain and 



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