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One Year 25 Cents Singie Copy 5 Cent* 
Published by the Wisconsin Audubon Society at Madison, Wisconsin 
Entered as second class matter August 23, 1909, at Madison, Wis under the act of Congress of March 3, 1879 
VOL. XV SEPTEMBER, 1913 No. 1 
THE CARDINAL 
J. C. Elsom 
The Editor of By the Wayside has 
asked me to give him some notes con¬ 
cerning some of my southern bird 
friends, and this I gladly do, because of 
the very vivid recollection which I hold 
of many of the birds that were familiar 
to me during my early life in Virginia. 
I suppose that most of us who love the 
birds have an especial favorite 
among them; and while we may find 
pleasure in them all, yet no doubt, as 
in my own case, some one species seems 
to stand out preeminent in our regard. 
This may be due to sentiment, or to 
some early recollection, perhaps; and it 
may be quite natural that some appeal 
to our admiration more than others. 
After all, the birds seem to have very 
human traits and characteristics; and 
■just as we find congenial friends among 
our companions, being attracted to some 
and repelled by others, so it may be 
that the birds affect us in some similar 
fashion. 
My earliest recollection and regard 
holds steadily to the “Redbircl, ” as we 
called him, the Cardinal Grosbeak, or 
Virginia Nightingale, as he is some¬ 
times called. When once you have 
met my conspicuous and aristocratic 
friend, with his bright cardinal coat 
and black neck-tie, you will never for¬ 
get him. Ilis decided crest, his stout 
red beak, and his active, energetic 
movements set him apart from all 
other species; and when we have once 
heard his shrill piccolo-like notes, we 
are not likely to forget his fine 
feathers or his song. His vocal abili¬ 
ties, however, seem limited to a few 
notes,—a flashy prelude, as it were, to 
a song which he never sings. His 
cheerfulness, however and his appar¬ 
ent enjoyment of life, seemed to be his 
strongest characteristics. I remember 
him best in my childhood when the 
wintry snows would cover the fields 
and foot-hills of the Blue Ridge Moun¬ 
tains ; for lie did not leave us in the 
winter time. To see his flashing color 
against the white background of the 
snowy landscape was a joy indeed; 
and as their food supply became 
scarce, I remember how the cardinals 
would come around the house, and 
even feed nearby, with the chickens. 
Generally, However, they are rather 
shy, and not particularly desirous of 
a close acquaintance with their human 
neighbors. Indeed, they are too fre¬ 
quently a target for the small boy’s 
rifle, and their “fatal gift of beauty” 
too often brings them to an untimely 
end. A slight wash of gray on their 
