BIRDS OF MINNESOTA 349 



Snelling, (^situated at the junction of the Minnesota and Mis- 

 sissippi rivers,) was a very careful observer of the habits of 

 the birds, from whom I received much reliable information of 

 the habits of many of the more common birds in early times, 

 and I availed myself of his notes upon this species particularly. 

 He assured me that the Scarlet Tanager was never seen here 

 until some time after the then territory had been appropriated 

 by the white people. When first seen it was in the tall timber 

 which skirts the Mississippi, about the 15th of May, and back 

 in the "forties." It was not met again for several years, and 

 then more frequently until about 1850 it began to return regu- 

 larly, and with increasing numbers. 



It has greatly increased in the time that I have been a resi- 

 dent, until at the present time it may be said to be abundant 

 for its species. They are to be looked for in brush land in 

 which are also considerable numbers of tall, forest trees, and 

 near water courses. In the absence of the water courses, it 

 will seek the vicinity of lakes or of swamps. The male pre- 

 cedes the female by about ten days, during which time it seems 

 to go outside of its summer range, in a sort of restless waiting, 

 and is then seen often about our shrubbery and ornamental 

 groves. 



On the arrival of the mate, the favorite localities are at once 

 selected, and about the first week in June they construct a 

 nest of weeds, strips of bark, twigs, wool, etc. , which is lined 

 with fine roots and occasionally bits of tamarack twigs. It is 

 exceedingly loosely built, scarcely having firmness apparently 

 to answer its purpose. They lay three eggs generally, and 

 occasionally four, light green, spotted thickly with reddish- 

 brown. It is placed almost uniformly on a horizontal limb of 

 a sapling, or rather smaller tree, and about eight feet from the 

 ground, with now and then one much higher. I have never 

 known them to bring out more than one brood in a season. 

 They generally begin to move southward early in September, 

 and are usually all gone by the 15th of that month. They are 

 by no means uniformly distributed through the State, but 

 have increased their distribution with increase of population. 

 They will forage sometimes amongst the smaller fruits, and 

 hence are somewhat under the ban of the fruit-growers. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Bill somewhat straight, subconical, cylindrical, notched at 

 tip, shorter than head; culmen moderately curved, commissure 

 with a median acute lobe; wings elongated, the first four 



