266 



AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



for they are excellent singers and are frequently met with behind the 

 bars of a cage. While they are hardy birds and live well in captivity, 

 they soon lose their beautiful fiery red coat and adopt the dress of the 

 female, — a dull grayish brown color. The female, too, while not equal- 

 ing the male, has a very pretty song and for this reason is often caged. 



They generally live in pairs or small families in a section, where they 

 generally remain throughout the year, except in the more northern 

 portions of their range. In the Southern States where they are the 

 most .abundant, they are quite tame and frequent the neighborhood of 

 the farm houses about which they generally manage to find an attract- 

 ive bill of fare of various grains, fruits and insects. 



In spring, when they arrive in the Middle States where they are 

 partially migratory, numerous contests occur between the male birds 

 before they obtain their desired companions for the season. As they 

 are quite strong birds and have powerful beaks, these contests are fre- 

 quently disastrous to the vanquished party. 



Their loud, bold, defiant song is one of the most entertaining pieces 

 of music that is heard from a feathered throat. It is distinctly a whistle 

 rather than a song, as indeed are the songs of nearly all the birds. 



PI oto by Paul R. Powell. 



NEST OF CARDINAL. 



