KEEL-BREASTED BIRDS. 288 
Fic. 314.—The gardener-bird ; its house, garden, flowers, etc. 
The Finches (Fvingillide) have the bill shorter and 
more robust than in the preceding family, the corners of 
the mouth drawn down. They have a wide range in every 
country except Australia. 
The cardinal grosbeak (Cardinalis Virginianus) is one 
of our familiar birds. The general color is red, ashy on 
the back, the chin and forehead black, the crest conspicu- 
ous, and the beak a bright red. Their notes are extremely 
melodious, especially in the breeding-season. The nests 
are placed in trees, and contain from four to six grayish- 
white eggs, with olive-brown markings. 
door rich green mosses are planted and kept clean, and upon this 
miniature meadow bright flowers and insects are scattered, which are 
taken away and replenished as soon as they fade. In this curious 
habitation the birds meet in social and esthetic enjoyment, the nest 
being entirely different and distinct. 
