THE CARDINAL BIRD. 



( Cardinalis cardinalis. ) 



Upon the gray old forest's rim 



I snuffed the crab-tree's sweet perfume ; 

 And farther, where the light was dim, 



I saw a bloom 

 Of May-apples, beneath the tent 

 Of umbrel leaves above them bent; 

 Where oft was shifting light and shade 

 The blue-eyed ivy wildly strayed ; 

 And Solomon's-seal, in graceful play, 

 Swung where the straggling sunlight lay : 

 The same as when I earliest heard 

 The Cardinal Bird. 



-William Davis Gallagher, "The Cardinal Bird. 



Fortunate are they who live in the 

 realm of the Cardinal. Who, indeed, is 

 not entranced by the beautiful life of this 

 bird? Not only the poets, but also all 

 lovers of bird-life have been inspired by 

 its beautiful garment of cardinal feathers 

 and the exemplary habits of both the male 

 and his mate. They love each other in 

 their bird-like way and their lives are 

 full of devotion to each other and to their 

 offspring. The more somber and dove- 

 colored female, with the dull red plum- 

 age of her crest, wings and tail, is hardly 

 less attractive than her mate, and she 

 reciprocates his loving attentions. These 

 habits and their willingness to frequent 

 the vicinity of man's abode when en- 

 couraged make the Cardinals beloved of 

 all who make their acquaintance. 



The poet Naylor has written : 



Along the dust-white river road 



The saucy Red-bird chirps and trills ; 

 His liquid notes resound and rise 

 Until they meet the cloudless skies 

 And echo o'er the distant hills. 



And Maurice Thompson says of its 

 summer song, a greeting uttered in ring- 

 ing syllables : 



What cheer ! 



What cheer ! 

 That is the Cardinal Grosbeak's way, 

 With his sooty face and his coat so red. 



The Cardinals are noted singers. Both 

 sexes sing, but the song of the male is 

 more frequent and a louder and clearer 

 whistle. His mate, however, is a charm- 



ing songstress, her soft clear tones being 

 exceedingly pleasing. Though her music 

 differs somewhat from his, their call-note 

 is the same and consists of a quickly ut- 

 tered tsip. Though the Cardinal's song 

 is the happiest during the nesting sea- 

 son, it does not hesitate to utter its merry 

 whistle on the warmer days of winter. 

 Its bright coat and song form one of the 

 pleasant features of the somber winter 

 months, for it is a resident nearly 

 throughout its range. Its range covers 

 the eastern United States, and it nests 

 from the Gulf of Mexico northward to 

 Iowa and New York. 



The song of the Cardinal must be 

 heard to be fully appreciated. It is a 

 home bird and, unlike many other birds, 

 frequently utters its sweetest notes near 

 its nest. Its song is variable and has 

 often been described on printed pages. 

 In his "Birds of Ohio" Dr. Dawson has 

 given the following interesting syllabic 

 rendering of some of the leading forms : 



i. Che-pew, Che-pew, We-oo, Wc-oo, 

 We-oo. 



2. Whe-tezv, Whe-tezv, Whe-oo, Whe-oo. 



3. We-oo, We-oo, We-oo, We-oo, We-oo. 



4. Chitikew, Chitikew, he-weet — he- 

 weet. 



5. Tshew, tshew, tshew, tshezv, tshew. 



6. Who-y? Who-yf Who-yf Who-y? 



7 Bird-ic, Bird-ie, Bird-ie, tshezv, tshezv, 

 tshew. 



8. Bird-ie, Bird-ie, Bird-ie, Bird-ie. 



Though the Cardinals may visit open 

 shrubby fields and the vicinity of dwell- 

 ings during the greater portion of the 



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