54 
Harvey, Diary of a Cardinal's Nest. 
r Auk 
L Jan. 
THE DIARY OF A CARDINAL’S NEST. 
BY GERTRUDE FAY HARVEY. 
Plate I. 
The Cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinalis ) is a common bird here 
in southwestern Ohio, and is with us throughout the year. There 
is one pair which seems never to leave our neighborhood nor to 
separate, staying together the year round. Every winter we feed 
these birds to keep them from want, and every summer we con- 
tinue to feed them because we hate to stop. 
For three years they have built in our garden, the successful 
nests being in a heavy honeysuckle vine at a little distance from 
the house. Twice they built the nest close to the porch, but both 
times they deserted it before the eggs were laid. So, when the 
birds made a tour of inspection in the conservatory this spring, 
we had little hope of their settling in so conspicuous a place, or, 
at least, of their staying to raise their young. The Cardinal has 
the reputation of deserting his nest for slight reasons. 
The Cardinals were first seen in the conservatory on the 13th 
of April, having entered by an open ventilator in the roof, as all 
the other windows were closed at that season. Birds often come 
by accident into the greenhouse, but usually when once inside 
they make wild efforts to get out, dashing against the glass and 
flying frantically about. The Cardinals seemed to have come in 
deliberately, and they showed their superior intelligence by the 
manner in which they grasped the situation. Walls of glass did 
not delude them in the least. When their inspection was finished 
they calmly departed by the little opening through which they had 
come in. 
The next day they came again, and a few days later were 
noticed to have twigs in their beaks, as though planning a nest. 
On the 20th of April they selected the site — a fork in a Marechal 
Neil rose vine, and they began to bring in a great amount of 
material, which did not take definite shape until the 26th. 
Throughout the process of building the female gathered the 
material and did all the work, the male keeping close at her side, 
