CARDINAL. 207 



singers have dropped from the chorus tliat his voice be- 

 comes conspicuous. 



Isot far away liis mate is doubtless sitting on her blu- 

 isli white eggs in a nest low down in the crotch of a bush, 

 lie in his deep indigo costume may be easily identified, 

 but she is a dull brownish bird, about the size of a Ca- 

 nary, sparrowlike in appearance, though with unstreaked 

 plumage, and a difficult bird to name, even when you 

 have a specimen in your hand, while in the bush, if silent, 

 she is a puzzle. But she is far too good a imjther not to 

 pi'otest if you venture too near her home, and her sharp 

 2)it or peet usually calls her mate, whom you will recog- 

 nize at once. 



The Cardinal is about the size of a Towhee, with 



phimage which, except for a black throat, is almost 



wholly rosy red. Seeing a mounted 



,, ,. ,. ',. ,. Cardinal, one might imagine that he 



LiU'dUialh-i card mat t.-!. ' o -^ 



was a conspicuous bird in life and easy 

 to observe ; but the truth is that, in s^jite of his bright 

 colors, the Cardinal is a surprisingly difficult bird to see. 

 You may often hear his sharp, insignificant tsij) without 

 catching a glimpse of the caller, so well can he conceal 

 himself. His olive-brown mate is, of course, even more 

 difficult to find, and when you do see her you would 

 hardly suspect the relationship were it not for her actions 

 and the striking crest worn by both sexes. 



The Cardinal's song is a rich, sympathetic whistle. 

 His mate also sings at times, and I carry in my menuiry 

 a musical courting I once observed, in which a pair of 

 these beautiful birds were the actors. The song begins 

 with u^het'-ifcni.', vihee-ycnt, long-drawn notes, which are 

 followed by a more rapid /nwnj, hurry, hurry ; quich, 

 q II lei', qiiick, and other notes difficult of description. 

 The Cardinal is a bird of the Southern rather than of 

 the jSTorthern States, and is rarely seen north of New 



