522 
GRANIV OROUS BIRDS. 
to gardens, which, as well as corn-fields, afford them a 
ready means of subsistence ; they are also fond of the seeds 
of most of the orchard fruits, and are said occasionally to 
prey upon bees. 
The lay of the Cardinal is a loud, mellow, and pleas- 
ingly varied whistle, delivered with ease and energy for 
a considerable time together. To give it full effect, he 
chooses the summit of some lofty branch, and elevating 
his melodious voice in powerful as well as soothing and 
touching tones, he listens, delighted, as it were, with the 
powers of his own music, at intervals answered and en- 
couraged by the tender responses of his faithful mate. 
It is thus the gilded hours of his existence pass away in 
primeval delight, until care and necessity break in upon 
his contemplative reveries, and urge him again to pursue 
the sober walks of active life. 
The song of the Red Bird, like that of so many others, 
though possessed of great originality, often consists in part, 
of favorite borrowed and slightly altered phrases. It 
would be a difficult and fruitless task to enumerate all 
the native notes delivered by this interesting songster ; 
a few may be perhaps excused by those who wish, in 
their rural walks, to be made, in any way, acquainted 
with the language of the feathered vocalists that surround 
them. All the tones of the Cardinal are whistled much in 
the manner of the human voice. Late in February, 
while travelling in Alabama, I heard one crying woolit , 
wolit tvolit wolit, then in a quicker tone butsfi butsh butsh 
butsh, and ’ tshooway tshooway tshooway. At another time 
the song was 'wit a 'wit, ’ teu ; then tshevi tsheve ’ teu,' whoit 
'ivhoit 'whoit ' teu (the ’ whoit an exact human whistle, and 
the te(i tenderly emphatic.) Another bird called, teo teo 
teo,tshoo6,tshooe tshooetshooe , then teo teo teo teo alone, or 
5 woit ' woit ' woit 'wait, with the last word delivered slower, 
