The Dominican Cardinal. 75
says " It is usually seen singly or in pairs in the more or less cleared and open
ground near cultivation. Many dozens are brought into the market at Recife to
sell as cage-birds. The Brazilians call it Gallo da campiña."
Mr. Edward Bartlett, from whose valuable (though unfortunately incomplete)
work, I have borrowed the foregoing notes on this species ; says—" Although my
researches for details respecting these birds extend over nineteen years, I have
been unable to find any reliable information concerning the nidification of this
species in a wild state."
Why Mr. Bartlett should assert that P. la,~üata has no song, whilst at the
same time quoting a contrary statement by another naturalist, does not seem clear;
but I should be inclined to believe that he based his observation, either upon cock
birds, imported when old enough to sulk; or hens.
According to Burmeister P. dominicana "lives singly in thickets and is nowhere
very plentiful."
Neuwied seems to have had a different e x p e r i e n c eTh i s beautiful bird is
well known and quantities are kept in cages," and a little further on he continues :—
" T h i s bird was first met with by me throughout the whole town of Bahia (San
Salvador) ; it however descends across Brazil to Paraguay, as we know through
Azara. At Bahia these birds are not rare. They are quiet, foolish creatures ; but
have a clear call-note and little chirping song. In every district people keep
numbers of them in cages, where they do well, they are fed on crushed rice and
maize. At Bahia they are called Cardinal, as also by the Spaniards in Paraguay."
Here again we have evidence that this species sings, and Neuwied calls its
performance a " zwitscheruder Gesang," which proves that it must be somewhat
similar in character to that of its allies.
Dr. Russ describes the eggs as pale green, spotted and speckled with brownish ;
the nesting habits similar to those of P. cuciiliata, but the disposition of the bird
less spiteful, the song more tuneful, less dissonant, yet not rich in variations. It
is moreover more generally bred.
The illustration is from an example in the author's collection.
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