Extracts from Didrij of Otto Widmann 67 



fruit for a change of diet, especially on hot summer days, 

 and there was formerly no lack of wild fruit in our woods, 

 but by cutting- down these trees we deprived the wild 

 creatures of their ]iossessions and ought therefore be 

 willing to share with them what grows in our orchard, or 

 else plant some of their favorite fruit trees, such as Red 

 Mulberry and AVild Cherry for their exclusive use. The 

 georgeous Baltimore Oriole, such a common denizen of 

 central and northern Missouri, is much less common than 

 its congener, but not entirely unknown in the bottoms of 

 the larger streams as a summer sojourner from May till 

 August. 



Still another bird which finds in the Ozarks its center 

 of distribution is the Summer Tanager, also called Sum- 

 mer Redbird, a true woodland bird which is nowhere so 

 much at home as on our Ozark hills. The bird is a beauty, 

 bright venuilion all over, no black wings like its north- 

 ern relative, the Scarlet Tanager, and its song is one of 

 the best bird songs we have, and that means much. Its 

 notes are a clear whistle somewhat in the style of the 

 Robins, but much more fluent and melodious. It is given 

 with great constancy all through summer, often in the 

 heat of noonday when most other songsters are resting, 

 ^luch oftener heard than seen because hidden by the 

 dense foliage of our forest trees, the bird is nevertheless 

 not shy, visits frequently our gardens and orchards and 

 builds its nest often by the roadside, sometimes so low in 

 branches hanging over the road that their contents can be 

 inspected by simply standing on the seat of the wagon 

 j)assing under it. It is not easy to decide which one of our 

 two Tanagers is the more beautiful, the southern Summer 

 Tanager or the more northern Scarlet Tanager with its 

 deep black wings and tail in sharp contrast with its scar- 

 let body. In song the former is decidedly superior to its 

 cousin, for in spite of a general resemblance the mellow- 

 ness of the one distinguishes it at once from the other, 

 but both are tru(» woodland songs, charming wherever 



