* on the Nesting of the Red-headed-, or Dominican Cardinal. 269


the bird described as having “large ovaries” was the only one

that could have been responsible for the fertilization of the eggs,

since the only other birds in the aviary were Java Sparrows,

Saffron-finches, an aged Magpie Mannikin, and six Doves.


As is well known to aviculturists, the male sex in the S.

American Cardinals is smaller than the female: this is especially

noticeable in the Green Cardinal (Giibernatrix cristata) but in the

Red-headed species one does not notice it much during the life

of the birds ; though, after death, when male and female can be

compared side by side, the discrepancy is seen to be well-

marked.*


In the two skius now returned to me the male is about

three-fourths of an inch shorter than the female, and there is no

evidence of unnatural shrinkage in this skin or of unnatural

stretching in that of the female: even allowing a margin for

both, the discrepancy in size could not be ignored. I11 the

second place the beak of the male is short and broad with well

arched culmen, that of the female long and distinctly narrower

with culmen slightly less arched ; the crown of the male is

broader and shorter than in the female; and the latter shows

a little more white in the wings, but I think this character is

variable.


Considering that these two birds are both declared to be

hens, it is a pity the young were not reared ; with two mothers

they should have done well !


The eggs of P. larvata, according to Dr. Russ, are “pale

green, spotted and speckled with brownish ” : strictly speaking

this is not correct. The ground-colour of the egg is indeed

extremely pale green, it might almost be called greenish-white,

but the markings are olivaceous, not brownish. Of about the

same size as a Dipper’s egg, but shaped more like that of the

Missel-Thrush, it has the ground-tint of a Linnet’s egg, the

marking of a Sparrow’s, but with the markings coloured as in the

Dartford Warbler’s egg. It vaguely resembles some eggs of the

Blackbird, but the ground-tint is paler and bluer, and the mark¬

ings far less red.



* Herr Wiener speaks of the female P. cucullata as sometimes smaller than the male :

perhaps he may be right.—A. G, B.



