FAM. XIII. FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 109 



brilliantly colored bird is found in dense woods, singing its 

 robin-like carol in the tree tops. 



Length, 7; wing, 3| (3i-3|); tail, 3; culinen, f. The United States, 

 from the Plains eastward ; breeding from Virginia to New Brunswick, 

 and wintering from Mexico to South America. 



3. Summer Tanager (610. Pirdnga rubra). — A common, sum- 

 mer, red bird of the south, without either crest on head 

 or black on wings or tail. Female, brownish-olive above and 

 buffy-yellow below. This is a sweet singer in open woods, 

 with notes which resemble those of the last species. Its 

 call notes are very 

 peculiar, and have 

 been written cliicky- 



tucky-tuck. (Summer ^ — — ^ — -- ^■^*~ " -^-ai 



Red Bird.) 



Length, 1\ ; wing, 3| 

 (3i-4); tail, 3; tarsus, 



I ; culmen, |. Eastern _ _ 



United States ; breeding 



from Florida to New Jersey, wandering to Nova Scotia, and wintering in 

 Mexico to South America. 



FAMILY Xin. FINCHES, SPARROWS, AND GROSBEAKS 



(FRINGlLLIDiE) 



This is the largest of the families of birds (550 species), and 

 comprises medium to small forms to be found everywhere (ex- 

 cept in Australia) at all seasons of the year. The family has 

 never been successfully divided into groups, and the student, 

 in working with these forms, will have greater difficulty in de- 

 termining species than anywhere else among birds. Ail have 

 somewhat short, conical bills, with the corners of the mouth 

 abruptly bent downward.^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Most of our small species have 

 plain colors arranged more or less in a streaky manner ; these 



2 3 4 



