LAND BIRDS. 531 
tendrils, and sometimes pine needles, but rarely if ever with any soft 
substances. The eggs are three or four, greenish-white, spotted with brown 
and lilac, and average .99 by .73 inches. 
Much has been written of the Cardinal’s song, but although he has a very 
loud, sweet whistle and a considerable variety of notes, these, so far as our 
experience goes, are seldom if ever brought near enough together to form 
what can properly be called a song. The usual call-note, is a clear flute- 
like whistle of two notes, such as is used in calling a dog, and may be written 
‘‘wheo-wheo-wheo,”’ sometimes shortened to ‘“cue-cue-cue” and often 
repeated twenty or thirty times in succession. At other times the call 
suggests the words beauty, beauty, beauty, with strong accent on the first 
syllable. Hoffman says: ‘Its notes are too numerous to transcribe, 
but are nearly all loud and clear; the same note is generally repeated with 
energy and rapidly. Some common forms of the song resemble the sylla- 
bles whoit-whoit-whoit, etc., ku-ku-ku, etc. One form ends in a series 
of e’s so long continued that it apparently ends only when the singer becomes 
out of breath.” The female-also is said to sing, but we have heard her 
utter only the usual call-notes. 
The Cardinal is a favorite cage bird and in some sections of the south, 
particularly about the larger cities, has been nearly exterminated by the 
systematic removal of the young from the nests. The bird lives readily 
in a cage and whistles fairly well, but seldom keeps the brilliant plumage 
for more than a year or two. Nuttall states that an instance is known 
of one which survived in confinement for twenty-one years. 
The Cardinal eats seeds and fruits of various kinds, as well as buds and 
insects. During the winter he takes berries of red cedar, cat-brier (Smilaz), 
bittersweet, the various sumacs, haws (Crataegus), and almost any small 
wild fruit which can be found hanging on tree or vine. His staple food, 
however, consists of seeds of various kinds, and of these there seem to be 
no Jack. If he has any particular value as an insect destroyer, the fact 
has escaped observation; we only know that during the nesting season he 
consumes insects freely and feeds them to his young, and the presumption 
is that he thus helps to prevent the undue increase of insects which might 
result disastrously to the agriculturist. In Nebraska Professor Aughey 
examined the stomachs of four Cardinals killed in August and September 
and found the stomachs to contain an aggregate of eighty-eight insects, 
more than half of which were locusts. 
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 
Adult male: Bill very large, stout, conical, bright red, the feathers all about its base 
deep black, as are also the chin and upper throat; rest of the plumage deep red, brightest 
(vermillion) on the under parts, duller or darker on the back, where many of the feathers 
are tipped with grayish; upper surface of wings and tail similar, the wing-feathers dusky 
on inner webs; head with a conspicuous, pointed crest, like that of the Blue Jay, but wholly 
deep red; iris light brown; feet and legs dusky. Adult female: Wings and tail about as 
in male, and terminal part of crest distinctly red; otherwise quite different; black of face 
entirely replaced by dull gray; under parts brownish-yellow, and upper parts greenish-gray 
or brownish-gray; bill and iris about asin male. Young birds are similar to the old female, 
but duller and with the bill blackish. 7 : 
Length 7.50 to 9.25 inches; wing 3.55 to 4; tail 3.90 to 4.60; culmen .72 to .82. 
