. Birds of song and story . ken of its whereabouts, but so active is the livelyfellow that it eludes even the sharpest eye, a stranger mis-taking its gleam for a rift of sunlight through the treetops. Legend tells us that the beak of this bird was once ashengray and the face white. Once on a time, a whole flock ofthem were discovered in the currant rows of a mountaineer,who called on the gods of the woods to punish them, since hehimself was unable to overtake the thieves. The gods, willingto appease the old man, yet loving the grosbeaks better, dyedtheir beaks crimson from that moment, and set
. Birds of song and story . ken of its whereabouts, but so active is the livelyfellow that it eludes even the sharpest eye, a stranger mis-taking its gleam for a rift of sunlight through the treetops. Legend tells us that the beak of this bird was once ashengray and the face white. Once on a time, a whole flock ofthem were discovered in the currant rows of a mountaineer,who called on the gods of the woods to punish them, since hehimself was unable to overtake the thieves. The gods, willingto appease the old man, yet loving the grosbeaks better, dyedtheir beaks crimson from that moment, and set black maskson their faces. Thus was a favor done to the cardinals, forever after the juice of berries left no stain on their red lips,while the black masks set off their features to the best advan-tage, interrupting the tint of the beak and the head. He isno ecclesiastic, though he wear the red cap of the cardinal,which he lifts at pleasure, for he gets his living by foragingthe woods and gardens for berries at The Grosbeaks 47 The cardinals cpmpanion is modest of tint, ashy brownwith only traces of red below, deepening on wings, head,and tail. Bird of the bush is she, and she places her looselymade nest in the thicket, where she can easily obtain barkfiber and dry, soft leaves and grass. In it she sees that threeor four chocolate-dotted eggs, like decorated marbles, areplaced. And she repeats the family history two or threetimes a season, where the season is long. At first the lips ofthe baby birds are dark; but they soon blush into the familyred. In plumage they resemble the mother for a time, butbefore cold weather the males put on a coat of red with theblack mask. In the respect of molting the cardinals differ from theiryoung cousins, the rose-breasted, the latter requiring two orthree years to complete the tints of adult life. But born in the thickets are the rose-breasts, just like thecardinals, the nest being composed of the selfsame fibers andwoodland gras
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1901
