Lesson XXXII

The Cardinal Grosbeak

Leading thought—The cardinal is the most brilliantly colored of all our birds and because of its color and song, it has been destroyed by thousands as cage birds. We should seek to preserve it as a beautiful ornament to our groves and grounds.

Methods—This work must be done by personal observation in the field. The field notes should be discussed in school. The effect of the whole lesson should be to stimulate an interest in protecting these beautiful birds. If possible, send for outline figures of the cardinal for the children to color; these outlines may be had at the cost of fifteen cents per dozen from the Audubon Society, 141 Broadway, New York City.

Observations—1. Do you know the cardinal? Why is it so called?

2. How many names do you know for this bird?

3. Is the cardinal as large as the robin? Is it graceful in shape or stout?

4. Is there any color except red upon it? If so, where?

5. What other vividly red birds have we and how can we distinguish them from the cardinal?

6. Describe the cardinal’s crest and how it looks when lifted. Why do you think it lifts it?

7. Describe its beak as to color, shape and size. What work is such a heavy beak made for?

8. Is the cardinal’s mate the same color as he? Describe the color of her head, back, wings, tail, breast.

9. Can you imitate the cardinal’s song? What words do you think he seems to sing? Does his mate sing also? Is it usual for mother birds to sing? What other notes besides songs do you hear him utter?

10. Where does the cardinal usually build its nest? How high from the ground? Of what materials? Is it compact or bulky? How many eggs and what are their colors?

11. How does the father bird act while his mate is brooding? How does he help take care of the young in the nest?

12. How do the fledglings differ in color from their father? From their mother? Of what use to the young birds is their sober color?

13. What happens to the fledglings of the first brood while the mother is hatching the eggs of the second brood?

14. In what localities do you most often see the cardinals? Do you ever see them in flocks?

15. What is the food of the cardinals? What do they feed their nestlings?

16. How can you induce the cardinals to build near your home?

17. What do you know about the laws protecting the redbirds?

Supplementary reading—The Second Book of Birds, Miller, p. 83; True Bird Stories, Miller, p. 86; The Song of the Cardinal, Porter; Audubon Educational Leaflet No. 18.

“Upon the gray old forest’s rim
I snuffed the crab-tree’s sweet perfume;
And farther, where the light was dim, I saw the bloom
Of May apples, beneath the tent
Of umbrel leaves above them bent;
Where oft was shifting light and shade
The blue-eyed ivy wildly strayed;
The Solomon’s seal, in graceful play,
Swung where the straggling sunlight lay
The same as when I earliest heard
The Cardinal bird.”

—W. S. Gallagher.