i n
THE RED-CRESTED CARDINAL.
Paroaria ciicullata, LATH.
r p H I S livelj' and somewhat excitable bird inhabits Sonthera Brazil and the
Argentine Repnblic to Bolivia: its brightness both of disposition and colouring
make it a favourite cage-bird. Tlie head, crest and throat are bright scarlet in the
adult bird; the upper surface generally is slate grey, darker on the nape and tailcoverts
; the feathers of the nape and mantle are ornamented with elongated oval
white central spots; the sides of the neck and under parts generally are white ;
the flight feathers of the wings are black, edged externally ^^^th ashy grey; the
tail feathers black fringed with grey; the sides of the body and flanks are slightly
stained ^\-ith grey ; wing and tail feathers below dark slate grey : beak almost white,
dusky on the dorsal part of the upper mandible, legs sooty grey, ii'is black.
Length seven and a half inches.
The female is like the male, but slightly less brilliant in colouring; beak
longer, with cnlmen less arched. Young birds have the scarlet of the head and
throat represented by dirty buff. ]\Ir. E. W. White, in a paper on birds from
the Argentine Republic observes, that it is " a tolerably common bird in the upper
Riverine provinces : and much kept as a cage-bird in Buenos Ayres : as it has a
very fine -whistle, almost rivalling that of the English Blackbird in power, but not
in T.-ariet3\"
I t passes my comprehension how Englishmen, wdien travelling in America, can
thus libel the birds of their native land. I have liad four pairs of Red-crested
Cardinals at various times, and those which I first possessed did not sing at all,
but simply cocked their heads on one side and uttered a clear M'histle; occasionally
with two notes, but usually only one; which I translated as "¡1^///" evidently
used in the sense of "Halloa!" This I formerly supposed to be the limit of the
bird's power, as a vocalist; though it is evidently only its call-note.
A bird w-hich I imported from La Plata in nestling plumage, and which
subsequently came into grand colour; first introduced me to the true song: it is
• Vv
a ; • • • •
• • i f ' , . ^
, ''A:
1L'..7 I
• /rl'.u;