FKINGILLIDyE — THE IIXUIIES. 103 



permit but little of its <froiiiul to bo seoii. Tlie eggs vary greatly in ^ize, 

 r.uiging iron 1.10 inches to .98 of au inch in length, and ftoni .80 to .78 

 in breadth. 



Cardinalis virginianus, var. igneus, Baird. 



CAPE CARDINAL. 



Cardinalit igneus, Baiki>. I'r. Ac Sc. PliiUi. 1859, 305 (t'apo St. Lucas). — Elliot, llliist. 

 N. .\iii. liirils, I, \\'\. — C'ooi'Elt, Oni. C'al. 1, 238. Vanlinalis vinjinianus, Finscii, 

 Abb. Xat. limn. 1870, 33U. 



Sp. Cil.V" Itesemhliii}; vii-iiinkninK, liaviiip;, liko it, tlio (li.^tinet prniyi.sli odfft's to rcathcrs 

 of tlio iloi-.-;a1 region. Red lightor, liowovor, and tho top of lioad, including; crest, nearly 

 pure verii ihon, instead of brownish-red. Blaclc of the lores not passinjr acro.ss the fore- 

 head, reai.'hinff-only to tiie nostril. Winu;, 4.00; tail, /i.Od; culmen, .8;5 ; depth of bill, 

 .60 ; breadth of upper mandible, .38. (No. 49,757 $. Camp Grant, GO miles east of 

 Tucson, Arizona). 



Female distinguishable from that o!' firi/iin'mn's oidy by more swollen bill, and more 

 restricted dusky around ba,se of bill. Young : bill deep black. 



H.vu. Cape St. Lucas; Camp Grant, Arizona; Tres Marias Islands (oft' coast of Mex- 

 ico, latitude between 21° and 22° north). Probably Western Mexico, from Sonora south 

 to latitude of about 20°. 



In the features pointed out above, all specimens from Arizona and Tres 

 Marias, and of an exceedingly large series collected at Cape St. Lucas, differ 

 from those of other regions. 



No s])ecimens are in the collection from Western Mexico as far south as 

 Colima, but birds from this region will, witliout doubt, be found referrible 

 to the present race. 



Habits. Tiiere appears to be nothing in the habits of this form of Cardi- 

 nal, as far as known, to distinguish it from the Virginia bird ; the nest and 

 eggs, too, lieing almost identical. Tiie latter average about one inch in length, 

 and .80 in breadth. Their ground-color is white, with a bluish tint. Tiicir 

 markings are larger, and more of a rusty than an ashy brown, and the inirple 

 spots are fewer and less marked than in C. iinjinidiiiis. 



The memoranda of IMr. John Xantus show that in one instance a nest of 

 this bird, containing two eggs, was found in a mimosa bush four feet from 

 the ground ; another nest, with one egg, in a like situation ; a third, con- 

 taining three eggs, was about three feet from the ground ; a fourth, with 

 two eggs, was also found in a mimosa, but only a few inches above the 

 ground. 



