CARDINAL GROSBEAK 123 
CARDINAL GROSBEAK.—LOXIA CARDINALIS.— 
Fies. 43, 44. 
Linn. Syst. i. p. 300, No. 5.—Le Gros-bec de Virginie, Briss. Orn. iii. p. 255. 
No. 17. — Buff. iii. P. 458, pl. 28. Pl. enl. 31.— Lath. Syn. ii. p. 118, No. 13.— 
Cardinal, Brown’s Jam: p. 647.— Peale’s Museum, No. 5668. 
GUARICA CARDINALIS. — Swainson. 
Fringilla cardinalis, Bonap. Synop. p. 113. 
Tus is one of our most common cage birds; and is very generally 
known, not only in North America, but even in Europe, numbers of 
them having been carried over both to France and England, in which 
last country they are usually called Virginia Nightingales. To this 
name, Dr. Latham observes, “they are fully entitled,” from the clear- 
ness and variety of their notes, which, both in a wild and domestic 
state, are very various and musical: many of them resemble the high 
notes of a fife, and are nearly as loud. They are in song from March 
to September, beginning at the first appearance of dawn, and repeat- 
ing a favorite stanza, or passage, twenty or thirty times successively ; 
sometimes, with little intermission, for a whole morning together, 
which, like a good story too often repeated, becomes at length tire- 
some and insipid. But the sprightly figure and gaudy plumage of 
the Red-Bird, his vivacity, strength of voice, and actual variety of 
note, and the little expense with which he is kept, will always make 
him a favorite. 
This species, like the Mocking Bird, is more numerous to the east 
of the great range of the Alleghany Mountains, and inhabits from New 
England to Carthagena, Michaux the younger, son to the celebrated 
botanist, informed me, that he found this bird numerous in the Bermu- 
das. In Pennsylvania and the Northern States, it is rather a scarce 
species; but through the whole lower parts of the Southern States, in 
the neighborhood of settlements, J found them much more numerous ; 
their clear and lively notes, in the months of January and February, 
being, at that time, almost the only music of the season. Along the 
road sides and fences I found them hovering in half dozens together, 
associated with Snow Birds, and various kinds of Sparrows. In the 
Northern States, they are migratory; but in the lower parts of 
Pennsylvania, they reside during the whole year, frequenting the bor- 
ders of creeks and rivulets, in sheltered hollows, covered with holly, 
laurel, and other evergreens. They love also to reside in the vicinity 
of fields of Indian corn, a grain that constitutes their chief and favor- 
ite food. The seeds of apples, cherries, and of many other sorts of 
fruit, are also eaten by them ; and they are accused of destroying bees. 
seem to be much at a loss when a large extent of forest is to be traversed by them. 
They perform these journeys almost singly. The females set out before the males 
in autumn, the males before the females in spring ; the latter not appearing in the 
midd.a districts until the end of April, a fortnight after the males had arrived.” 
