Brmliufj liesnUx af Park Lodge Aviarlea. 140 
trust tlioni M illi ,•^ll\•tllillf^■. Eh passant T would point out that 
wliat upsets liiids, anil osperially nnstinir birds rhiefly, i.^ 
similarity of <'i)li)ur far nioi-c than similarity of siiccios; size 
is of littli' nuimi'nt. 1 lia\i' cnmc to the cDiiclusion that tho 
coh.ui' sense of liii'ds is not very discriminating'. Rod-crcstod 
(\-ii'(linal ai'e on the whole Acry hard\-, bnt develop peculiar 
ailments, and in that respect resemble the Huntings, to whieh 
they are, of course, closely r(dated. ^'\'hy the Emherizinac 
should de\'elo]i fits and viM't igo I don't know but they do, at 
least in iny experience. 
My pair of Cai'dinals at length made up their minds 
to start raising- a family and they chose an everg-reen (Betino- 
spoia) for the nesting' site. They were not very successful 
and for weeks they endeavoured to make a nest that would 
letain the eggs. They used sticks to make the foundation, and 
J used to help them as nnich as T could. Hut apparently if I 
am descended fj'om the lowei' animals, it is certain I had no 
avian instincts imparted, as I found it most diflflcult. How- 
evei', after many fruitless attempts I procured a forsaken 
Tlu'ush's nest, ami pushed that into the foundation. They 
quickly took to it and two eggs were deposited therein. To 
the best of my reeolleclion they were like a Blackbird's, with 
a blui.sh -green body coloui', richly sutTused with specklings 
ami mottling's of dirty brown; but like Humpty Dumpty the 
nest had a great fall and the eggs got smashed. However, 
nothing daunted I replaced the nest and tied the boughs round 
so that it could not fall down again. My friendly Cardinals 
were mucli interested in my efforts, and did what they could 
to help me. Two more eggs were laid and both birds ;iat 
patiently, in turns, for 12-14 days, when 1 noticed they be- 
gan to feed the young. The young were almost entirely reared 
on mealworms, and small earthworms; whether they had re- 
gurgitated seed I can't say. I never saw the process. The 
young birds grew very i-ai)id]y, l)ut did not leave the nest for 
fully three weeks, and wei'c then a dirty colour all over, with 
a dull dirty 1jrick-red nuirk on the head. The parents tended 
them for another two or three weeks, the young gradually 
learning to fend for themselves. In the autumn the young 
birds lose their dirty appearance and gradually assume the 
distinctive grey and white markings, but the crest is not that 
