AND OOLOGIST. 
Cardinal UrosDeaK. 
A common resident and one much more 
noticeable in Winter than at other times. 
Most of them appear to remain mated 
throughout the year, for I have very sel- 
dom seen an old male without a female 
near by, and never two males together un- 
less they were fighting. Parties of three 
or four young are often found together in 
Fall and Winter. In the breeding season 
they have a decided preference for low, 
damp thickets, and, of a dozen nests, all 
Feb. 1883.] 
were found near streams. The most of 
these nests were in low Cedars, but two 
were in tangled grapevines ; one in an alder 
directly over a small stream, about four 
feet from the water ; one in a Wild Rose. 
Five is the largest number of eggs to a set 
I have ever seen ; but I think three is the 
usual set in this locality at least. Two of 
the nests had only two eggs each, which 
was the full set, as incubation was far ad- 
vanced. They are among our latest breed- 
ers, first sets being found about the first 
of June, and one set of three was found 
August 7th ; incubated about one week. In 
a set of five which I emptied for a friend 
was a “runt egg.” I did not have time to 
measure them, but the “runt” was less 
than one-third smaller than the rest, and 
contained a well formed embryo of the 
same proportionate size as the others. 
Could this have ever grown to a strong, 
full-sized bird ! I think, however, he 
would have made way for the “ sur- 
vival ” of his “ fitter ” brothers. I know of 
no eggs that show as much variation in size 
and markings as the eggs of the “Red- 
bird.” I have a set of three, two of which 
are so thickly marked with lilac, slate and 
brown as to cover almost entirely the 
ground ; the third is grayish white, simply 
flecked with spots of reddish brown and 
very bright lilac ; others are marked with 
light reddish and faint lilac, exactly like 
those of the Tufted Titmouse, and these 
are generally the smallest eggs I have no- 
ticed, while the larger have darker mark- 
ings. Others still, look just like White- 
rumped Shrikes’ eggs, and I have one set 
which can scarcely be distinguished from 
some Cowbirds’ eggs. The strength of this 
bird’s bill is remarkable. They can easily 
crush a grain of the hardest of yellow corn, 
and this is no small job even for a good 
set of teeth. This grain is a favorite food 
with them, but when they can get it readily 
they only bite out the germ. The females 
of this' species sing almost as much as the 
males, though their song is not so rich or 
11 
as loud as that of the male. If the song of 
any bird could be tiresome or monotonous 
to me, I think it would be this one. It is 
an endless repetition of two whistles like 
“ White-Oak,” repeated six or seven times, 
and then the same two whistles reversed 
in order, as “ Oak- White ” repeated about 
the same number of times. This is all of it, 
but it is such a rich, clear, flute-like tone, 
that it would more than make up for even 
a greater lack of variety than there is. This 
song is the favorite one of the Mocking 
Bird, and is repeated by it hour after hour. 
The Redbird has also other notes, which 
it uses very sparingly, however. It is a 
soft warble, and can only be heard when 
very near the bird. But this is far 
sweeter to me than its louder song. The 
sharp “ chink ” is easily imitated and I have 
called them with it up to almost arm’s 
length, by keeping perfectly still, but at 
the first wink >they were off . — Edgar A. 
Small, Hagerstown , Md. 
O.&O, vm, Feb, I8R3. p. w~//. 
IQ 7 
