312 rixenizs, SI’AliROWS, E're.

mother, hopping about in great excitement, and appearing to think the whole world thirstiug for the life of his pretty little ones.

The Cardinal mother shows the restless manners and anxious spirit of her mate. taking one's intrusion upon her domestic atl'airs n‘reatly to heart, and being so much disturbed that there is more pain than pleasure in making aetptaintanee with her nest tings.

Ours Tuoasn MILLER.

595. Habit). ludoviciana, (Lin 11.). RosiHnueAsTi-m (iROSBl-ZAK. 4‘11]. din—llead, throat, and back black; breast and under wiiig—eoverts bright rose»red. this color sometimes extending down the center of the white belly; rump white. tipped with black; wings black; primaries white at the base; tail black, the outer feathers tipped with white on the inner web. A11. 9 .- Upper parts grayish brown; margined with ereanhbutl’ and pale grayish brown; :1 butl'y line through the center of the crown, and a conspicuous whitish line over the eye; wings and tail dark grayish brown; wing-eoverts tipped with white; under wing-coverts orange; under parts butl'y, streaked with dark grayish brewn. 1111.5.7Resembles the 9, but has the under wing—coverts rose—red. L. s12; W., 4'02; T., 2'99; 13., '69“.

11)Ull‘l/€.’l‘:tl5t(‘rn North America: breeds from eastern Kansas and the higher altitudes of Virginia and North Carolina northward to Maine and Manitoba; winters in L‘entral and South America.

Washington. rather common T V., May 1 to '10; Aug. 25 to (let. I. Sing Sing, tolerably common 5. 1%., May 3 to Oct. 1. Cambridge. common S. L, May 10 to Sept. to.

first, of line twiws. Weed stalks. and rootlets. in hashes or trees, tire to twenty feet up. I131! . four to tire. pale blue7 with numerous olive—brown or rut‘ous-brown markings; die x '60.

Sometimes in passing through young second growths. and more ‘arely densely undergrown woodland, I hear a singular kind of ques- tioning eallmote. not loud, but distinct—a steely pee/r. pee/r. It is : signal to me to pause and look for its author; even a glimpse. of him is worth several minutes' waiting and watching. There is no mistak- ing his black, white, and rose costume: but the identity of his more modestly attired mate may long remain an open question. So little does she. resemble him that she might pass for an overgrown Sparrow with a rather conspicuous whitish stripe over her eye.

The song of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak is generally compared to that of the Robin, and musical annotation would doubtless show that the comparison is not misleading. But the similarity is largely one of form: in expression there is no more resemblance in their voices than there is between the birds tliemselves. There is an exquisite purity in the joyous care] of the Grosbez k; his songr tells of all the ghulness of a May morning; I have heard few happier strains of bird music. With Hymn who are deaf to its messafl'e of good cheer I can only sym-