The Jli\c;iiuoi! Cardinal. 
87 
l)nrks. etc.. lined with ,yrass, and is cup-shaped. Tliese birds 
rarely nest far fru.n a stream "\ river. 
A s^-reat poin'. in favour of the Red Cardinal as an aviary 
bird is its hardihood; another is its soni?. With ret^ard to the 
former I need only say that this species may be kept all the year 
round in an outdoor unbcaLed aviary, in perfect health, and ] 
have never known it exhibit Mie sli.i^htest discomfort, even 
during a London w inter at its v orst. 
The beauty of its song has earned for the \"irginian the 
title of " nightingale," and for a hard-billed bird certainly its 
vocal powers are remarkable. It is no exaggeration to state 
that its song at its best is very little inferior to that of the 
Blackbird, and indeed it resembles the whistling of that bird to 
no small degree. 
With regard to its treatment in cai)tivity, 1 consider the 
great secret of success is a varied menu. My own birds have 
access to a mixture of sunflower seed, hemp seed, oats and 
canary seed, as well as to the seeds put down for the other birds 
in the aviary. I also supply them liberally with fruit (grapes, 
apple, orange, banana, etc.) and live food (mealworms, small 
beetles, smooth caterpillars, etc.). I have never found this 
Cardinal at all quarrelsome or spiteful, and consider it safe to 
leave it with quite small birds. At the present time 1 have a 
cock ffying with such birds as Taha, Orange and Madagascar 
Weavers, and I have never seen him exhibit the least inclination 
to " bully." 
I have not yet bred this bird in my aviaries, but have great 
hopes of doing so this year. It has been bred by others on 
several occasions, the young, at first, being'' reared almost 
entirely on insects, etc., though later fruit is added to the menu. 
In conclusion, I strongly recommend members who 
appreciate birds beautiful in appearance, vivacious in movement, 
and at once intelligent and familiar, to become possessed of one 
or more i)airs of this truly delightful Cardinal, and I am sure 
they will never regret the acquisition. 
