song is much heightened by this raising of the crest ; it also gives the bird a wild and con- 

 spicuous appearance which fits well to the loud and beautiful strain. Every unprejudiced 

 fancier ranks the Cardinal among the very best of all songbirds. The ordinary song 

 sounds much like jehu-jebu-Jehu-jehu-teii, teii, ted, teri-trrrrrrrr,hut it is frequently changed 

 and varied. The whistling j'ehu-jeba is oft repeated, and the ted sounds especially sweet 

 and melodious. There are times in life which never pass out of one's recollection, moments 

 and hours w^hich brighten as "time steals away." This is with me particularly true of the 

 spring and summer nights spent at Houston, Texas, in the years from 1879 to 1882. The 

 broad verandas embowered in a wealth, of vigorous growing Marechal Niel, Lamarque, 

 and other climbing roses, in evergreen honey-suckles, Cape tecomas {Tecoma Capensis), 

 and other climbers were much frequented places during the beautiful cool evenings. 

 The air was saturated with the perfume of flowers, particularly of those of the night- 

 blooming jasmine {Cestram Parqui). Far ofiF, first in a low gentle tone, then gradually 

 louder, fuller and sweeter the incomparable song of a Mockingbird sounded through 

 the calm and beautiful night. One of his companions, inspired by the song of its rival, 

 commenced to join and in a very short time almost all Mockingbirds far and near were 

 rivalling in their music. At such times the Cardinals cannot withstand the temptation 

 of joining the chorus of this nocturnal concert. At first one utters a few notes, which 

 slowly increase in power, becoming louder, fuller, and more varied. Another and a third 

 follows till their songs resound from far and near. I have heard this incomparably 

 enchanting concert of Nature not only when the moon poured her light on the landscape, 

 but also during very dark nights. The spring and summer nights in the Gulf region are 

 unrivalled in beauty and salubrity of the air, but they are indescribably charming and 

 bewitchingly beautiful when Mockingbirds and Cardinals join in their fascinating night 

 concerts. 



My friend, Prof. Robert Ridgway, of the Smithsonian Institution, offers the 

 following description of the Cardinal's night song: "Not only do birds' songs differ 

 materially according to the individual, but often each individual possesses a more 

 or less extensive repertoire, the separate parts or tunes of which are so different from 

 one another that, heard without the singer being seen, they might readily be attributed 

 to different birds. This is particularly true of the Cardinal Grosbeak ; and I have not 

 the slightest doubt some observers have received an unfavorable impression, of this 

 bird's song from having first, or perhaps only, heard one of the less attractive tunes of 

 an individual which half an hour later might be singing a song totally different, and 

 far finer. A pet Cardinal, which I had for several years, sang six very distinct songs, 

 besides minor variations. A remarkable peculiarity of this bird (though one w^hich I 

 beUeve to be characteristic of the species) was that one of these songs was almost 

 invariably repeated until he himself became tired of it before he changed to another. 



"The difficulty of expressing a bird's notes by words is well known, but the follow- 

 ing attempt may give some idea of the different songs of my Cardinal : ^ 



I. Hoit, — wboit, whoit, whoit (eleven times); hoit, — whoit, whoit, whoit 



(eleven times). 

 II. Wbeu, wbeH, wbeH, whed, whed. 

 III. Tchew, tchew, tcbew, tcbew, tcbew. 



