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T H E V I R G I N I A N C A R D I N A L .
Cardinalis cardinalis, LiNX.
r r i H I S vei-\- handsome Grosbeak inhabits the Ea s t e rn United States , northwards
to New J e r s ey and the Ohio Valley, westwards to the plains. T h e colouring
of the upper surface, including the wing-coverts, is brownish lake red, with ashy
edges to the feathers ; the remaining wing-feathers somewhat dusky, with brick-red
outer ^^'ebs which become paler towards the tips ; front of head, crest, cheeks and
under surface br ight rosy scar let ; a black patch commencing in a narrow frontal
band enclosing the upper mandible, expanding at the base of the beak laterally,
so as partly to encircle the eye and terminat ing in a broad patch on the chin and
throa t ; tail feathers below rosy brown, sometimes inclining to greyish ; beak orangevermillion
; iris of eye hazel ; legs dark greyish brown. Leng th 8,®„ inches.
The hen is quite unlike the c o ck; above pale olive-brown, paler on the
forehead ; the crest, outer webs of primaries, greater wing-coverts, centre portion
of secondaries, tail feathers and thighs brick r ed; the secondaries and tail feathers
broadly edged with pale olive brown ; imcler sur face of wings rosy r ed; tips • of
primaries and tail very pale brown ; quills dark brown ; cheeks, breast and sides
pale ochre brown, becoming paler towards the abdomen; a narrow frontal baud,
the chin and throat slate-grey : legs paler than in the male. Leng th inches.
Thr e e races of this species have been distinguished by separate names. Dr .
Sha rpe thus speaks of them 'Ca t a logue of Bi r d s ' vol. xii, p. i 6 i :—" T h e Red
Cardinals offer an instance, not very common among birds, of a genus wherein
the males are all nearly alike, and the specific characters depend upon the female
sex. T h e ordinary species of America, C. cardinalis, is the typical form, and the
others can hardly be considered worthy of more than subspecific rank, as in the
males the difference consists in intensity of colour and a s l ight variation in size.
Tho s e from more tropical localities appear to want the grey margins to the feathers,
\\'hich are always observable in C. cardinalis, according to American writers, though
I suspect that they are entirely lost in summer , when the feathers become abraded,
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