188 
CARDINAL GROSBEAK. 
CARDINAL GROSBEAK. — LOXIA CARDINALIS. 
Plate XI. Figs. 1 and 2. 
Linn. Syst. i. p. 300, No. 5 Le Gros-bec de Virginie, Briss. Orn. iii. p. 255. 
No. 17. — Buff. iii. p. 458, pi. 28, PI. enl. 2>1 Lath. Syn. ii. p. 118, No. 13. 
— Cardinal, Brown’s Jam. p. 647. — Peale’s Museum, No. 5668. 
G UARICA CARDINALIS. — Swainson. 
Fringilla cardinalis, Bonap. Synop. p. 113. 
Thisj^s one of our most common cage birds; and is very 
generally known, not only in North America, but even in 
Europe, numbers of them having been carried over both to 
France and England, in which last country they are usually 
called Virginia Nightingales. To this name, Dr Latham 
observes, 44 they are fully entitled,” from the clearness and 
variety of their notes, which, both in a wild and domestic 
state, are very various and musical : many of them resemble 
the high notes of a fife, and are nearly as loud. They are 
and the species of our author was considered as the only one belonging to 
the northern parts : the Northern Zoology will give to the public a second 
under the title Pipilo arctica, which was only met with on the plains of the ! 
Saskatchewan, where it was supposed to breed, from a specimen being killed 
late in July. It frequents shady and moist clumps of wood, and is generally 
seen on the ground. It feeds on grubs ; is a solitary and retired, but not 
distrustful bird. It approaches nearest to the Mexican Pipilo maculata , Sw. j 
Mr Audubon says, “ The haunts of the Towhe Bunting are dry barren tracts ; j 
but not, as others have said, low and swampy grounds, at least during the 
season of incubation.” The name of Swamp Robin would indicate something 
the reverse of this, and provincial names are generally pretty correct in their i 
application ; different habits may perhaps be sought at different seasons. 
In “ the Barrens of Kentucky they are found in the greatest abundance. They 
rest upon the ground at night. Their migrations are performed by day, from 
bush to bush ; and they seem to be much at a loss when a large extent of forest i 
is to be traversed by them. They perform these journeys almost singly. The 
females set out before the males in autumn, the males before the females in 
spring ; the latter not appearing in the middle districts until the end of 
April, a fortnight after the males had arrived.” — Ed. 
