Range. - Eastern United States, north to New York and Illinois, west to the Plains and Texas. Resident in most of its range.

These beautiful fiery red and crested songsters are one of the most attractive of our birds, and in their range, nest about habitations as freely as among the thickets and scrubby brush of wood or hillside. Their nests are rarely placed higher than ten feet from the ground in bushes, branches, vines, brush piles or trees; they are loosely made of twigs, coarse grasses and weeds, shreds of bark, leaves, etc., and lined with fine grass or hair. They frequently lay two or three sets of eggs a season, the first being completed usually early in May; three or four, and sometimes five, white or pale bluish white eggs are laid; they are very varied in markings but usually profusely spotted, more heavily at the large end, with reddish brown and lavender. Size 1.00 x .70.

CARDINAL.

PERCHING BIRDS

593a. Arizona Cardinal. Cardinalis Cardinalis Superbus

Range. - Northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona.

A larger and more rosy form of the Cardinal. Its eggs cannot be distinguished from those of the eastern Redbird.

Bluish white.

593b. San Lucas Cardinal. Cardinalis Cardinalis Igneus

Range. - Southern Lower California.

Like the last but smaller and with less black on the forehead; eggs the same.

NEST OF CARDINAL.

Cardinal.

593c. Gray-Tailed Cardinal. Cardinalis Cardinalis Canicaudus

Range. - Northeastern Mexico and southern Texas.

The male of this species is like the eastern Cardinal but the female is said to be grayer. The nesting habits are the same and the eggs identical with those of the latter.

593d. Florida Cardinal. Cardinalis Cardinalis Floridanus

Range. - Southern Florida. Supposed to be a deeper and richer shade or red. Eggs like those of cardinalis.