CARDINAL , 25 



cold, and hunger, none is so beautiful as the 

 Cardinal, and probably none is so much sought 

 after by enemies of all kinds. His color is con- 

 spicuous as an electric spark, flashing alike in 

 contrast to snow, to the green of summer, the 

 gray of winter, or the gloom of the cedars in 

 which he delights to dwell. 



His song is no less attractive than his plu- 

 mage, — that keen whip-like whistle of "Woit, 

 woit, ten, ten, ten; woit ten; whittoo whittoo 

 whittoo. Whip! woiche woiche woiche woiche." 

 A friend of mine and his declares that he sits 

 by the road on rainy mornings when the children 

 are going by to school, and delivers a timely 

 warning of "Wet shoes, wet, wet, wet, wet 

 shoes!" 



There is something gracious and lofty in the 

 very bearing of the Cardinal, as if he could not 

 stoop to do a mean or discourteous thing; and 

 in this his disposition bears out his appearance. 

 He is a kind and praiseworthy consort, very 

 attentive to his olive-colored mate, who sings 

 nearly as well as he. He guards and protects 

 her and their brood, and does his full share of 

 the labor of rearing the young. 



Formerly many of these valuable birds were 

 caged and sent out of the country every year, 

 and many more were stuffed to meet some peo- 

 ple's strange ideas of ornament; but the laws 



