SCABLET TANAGEE 171 



lay, but alas for the unhappy leader of a bird 

 class endeavoring to concentrate attention upon 

 invisible and fleeting Warblers ! At sight of the 

 first red feather all other birds are forgotten, and 

 one may as well bid farewell to Warblers and fol- 

 low meekly where the beauty calls. Rest assured, 

 no other bird will be worth looking at while he is 

 by ! In Washington, wdiere both Scarlet Tana- 

 gers and Cardinals are seen, especially when the 

 Tanagers are on their way north, the two red birds 

 are sometimes confused, though in reality they 

 are very unlike. The Cardinal may always be 

 told by his high crest (see Fig. 28, p. 65), and 

 the Tanager by his black wings and tail, while, in 

 addition, the Cardinal is much the larger of the 

 two, and his red coat a cardinal rather than a 

 scarlet shade. 



As the Tanager lives inside the woods and 

 hunts mainly in dense foliage, he is much less 

 exposed to enemies than birds which live out in 

 open fields or even in Aallage trees, so can well 

 afford to wear colors that would be fatal to Spar- 

 rows and such commoners who pitch their tents 

 on the plain. The Tanagers build low, however, 

 and the mother bird could not be scarlet with- 

 out greatly endangering the nest. Accordingly 

 nature has provided her with a leaf-colored suit 

 that is a perfect disguise. If danger threatens 

 she flies into the leaves, and you may hunt a 

 merry hour before discovering her, unless she 

 moves in unleaf-like style. 



