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the preservation of colour I am disposed to think that green food

and fruit are quite as important as fresh air and animal food.


When kept in a cage and petted, the Virginian Cardinal

will often become bewitchingly tame, but he is naturally a timid

bird, and even when familiar with his master or mistress will

generally be greatly afraid of strangers.


Individuals of this species differ greatly in their behaviour

towards other birds. Some will prove very dangerous in an

aviary of small birds, while others are perfectly gentle, even

when nesting. My own pair took no notice of their small com¬

panions, even when the hen was sitting, and I think they might

have been safely trusted among the smallest Waxbills. I believe

that most specimens are of this peaceful disposition towards

other species, but it must be remembered that should a Virginian

Cardinal turn spiteful, he would not content himself with merely

pulling out a few feathers, but would probably murder his victim

outright. Therefore he should not be placed amongst any but

the commonest small birds until his character has been well

tested, and I should never trust very rare or valuable birds

within reach of his beak. No attempt should be made to-

keep two cocks or two hens of this species in the same aviary,

they would probably fight to the death in the spring.


Dr. Russ gives the following account of the nesting of this

species in captivity. “ The hen builds the nest openly in a bush,

on a thickly branched horizontal bough, on a groundwork of

bents and moss., strips of paper, &c., with rootlets, bast-fibres,

threads, &c., carefully lined with agave-fibre. More rarely in a

Hartz cage open above, or a little basket woven of birch-twigs.

The love antics of the male consist in extraordinary dancing and

singing. The hen incubates alone, usually not fed by the male,

the latter, however, guards the hatch. Time of incubation four¬

teen days. Young fed by both parents leave the nest in about

twenty-two days, commonly sooner. Breeding season five to six

weeks. Raying four eggs, bluish, greenish, or yellowish white,

with dark spots. Nestling down bluish. Young plumage duller

than that of the female, without red beak black - brown.

Change of colour :— In the fifth week the reddish tint shows up

more strongly, the red characters appear, the beak changes

through dull yellow and yellowish red into red a young male

first becomes fully red and his beak coral red in the third year.

Usually peaceable, but at nesting time malicious, especially

towards its own kind ; in the bird-room devours the young out

of other nests, also kills old weakly birds, sometimes its own

young the latter occurs from the want of some kind of food, or



