. The American natural history : a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America. r taxidermists; and theymake excellent food for captive hawks, owls, small carni-vores, and live snakes of several species. The introduction of this bird may well serve as a solemnwarning against any further meddlings with Nature on thatline. In the first place, there never existed the slightestreason or need for this importation. Without serious con-sideration, or consultation with the persons most competentto advise, this bird was imported and planted in twelvewidely separated localities
. The American natural history : a foundation of useful knowledge of the higher animals of North America. r taxidermists; and theymake excellent food for captive hawks, owls, small carni-vores, and live snakes of several species. The introduction of this bird may well serve as a solemnwarning against any further meddlings with Nature on thatline. In the first place, there never existed the slightestreason or need for this importation. Without serious con-sideration, or consultation with the persons most competentto advise, this bird was imported and planted in twelvewidely separated localities in the United States. To-day itis a feathered nuisance that spreads over one-half the UnitedStates, and excepting locally cannot be abated. Neverthe- THE CARDINAL, THE PRIDE OF THE SOUTH 307 less, it is within the power of western towns and cities whereinit has not yet gained a foothold to follow the example of in Cheyenne, and destroy every colony that entersbefore it has time to breed. The Cardinal, or Cardinal Grosbeak,^ also called theCardinal Redbird, is the pride of the South. From New. CARDINAL. Orleans to New York it is persistently trapped and limed—not to keep as a cage bird, but to sell as such. Poor,unhappy Cardinal! How much better its fate had it beencreated black instead of bright cardinal red, with no jauntytop-knot, and no fatal gift of song! In a cage six by nine feet, or even four bj^ four, a bird likethis flies to and fro, and in company with a dozen other small Car-di-nalis car-di-nalis. Letiglh, inches. 308 PERCHERS AND SINGERS birds finds life far from full. But if you put a wild song-birdin a cage barely large enough for a canary, the bird is wretched,it dies soon and the keeping of it is a sin against canaries and a very few other species, if you cannotkeep birds (and mammals, also) in big cages, do 7iot keep tlieinat all! The way thousands of song-birds are caught in someportions of the South, to sell as cage birds, is
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