Los Angeles herald., 1908-07-12


beautiful creatures in confinement. =,
Ii L could have my way about It, shoulo
give every Gagged cardinal bird in the country
his freedom, for he is really attractive only
in his natural state.
Where now live, in Central Ohio, have
had the pleasure of this birds society in my
walks at all seasons of the year, for he re-
mains here through the winter.
Come with me to my fayorite woodland, on
He is waking the echoes in the the opening be-
yond the woods Let us approach stealthily,
concealing ourselves behind a clump OF
bushes, while we peer through an aperture
of the tangled branches
See him there, perched on limb of that
sapling, his tal bent downward in the won't
ed attitude of birds when they sing, his
throat distended, his chest erect and his body
quivering as he whistles his loud, varied
song today. Eotice how his voice echoes
through the woods! And is he not hand
some fellow as he stands there, his compact,
graceful figure outlined against the sky? How
he seems to roll the notes off his musical
tonguel How he whistles loud, superb air,
and presently changes it to something soft
and mellow
One of my notes, iotted down on the nine
teenth of November informs me that he whis-
tied, "Kr-re-to, kr-r-e-to, kr-r-e-to," ON that
day. Another note, taken ON the twenty
eighth of January, says, Heard the resonant
whistle of the cardinal grossbeak." ! am
safe in SAYING that | have listened to his
mnstrelsy every month in the year.
His usual song consists of two or three
prolonged opening syllables, followed by
rapid run of notes. gradually diving out in
cadence; but there are times when musical
frenzy seems to seize him, and then he
INDUCES in wild medley, OF tr1lls,, guiyers
and Infections, now uttered in high treble,
now in a snbdued alto-a performance that
cannot be infinitely described and that puts
the alphabet to shame, -,
I have also heard him whistle a soft little
tune in the bushes that must have been IN
tended only for the pleasure of his mate
One day in September my ears were greet
ed by low, squeaking twitter, differing
from anything | had ever heard before; and,
when / pushed aside the bushes and peered
mn at the spot from which it came, found
that it was my cardinal plumed genius re-
An old lady acquaintance, who was brought
up in the country and has an intense love TOR
the BIRDS says that, in her grlhood days. she
and her friends were in the habit of transiat-
ing the cardinals song as follows:
''Wet year, wet year-cheer up, cheer, up
boys, boys-sugar sugar-making!
1 am quite sure that used to hear him say
the same thing years ago, In the early spring,
when | was helping to make maplesuear IN
my uncle's bottom-lands.
Have Won ever seen the variegated plumage
of a young cardinal bird? One day IN early
autumn, While threading the, thickets that
fringe the banks OF creek, saw a young
specimen that was euriously marked. Part
Of his plumage, especially that OF his neck,
shoulders and tail, was uneveniy washed WITH
rosy-red, as if he had fallen into poi. OF
paint, while the rest of his body was grayish'
or bluish-grav splashed with vermilion.
Unlike his kinsman, the rose breasted gross
beak, this bird is shy and active, rarely re-
naming long enough on one perch, II ne sees
Won. to afford YOU a good look at him.
You must be as wary as he IT you want 70
study him. No doubt, his fear of man arises
the fact that Of his dsd rsstvs' n RaTs
EMS bonnets, as well as caught in traps for
pets and do mot blame and a% a e s '0r
In learning to identify this species, you
confuse him with an Sa%embeT the
tanaper's wings and tail are black; and he mas
no crest like the grossbeak: and besides, ms
niumage is ricn scarlet instead OF bright
cardinal. Art tou,;I;as
in the feathered community, as you will
quickly see if you consult Key to North
American birds.