498 HISTORY OF THE 



Female: Olive greeu above, yellowish beneath. Wing and tail feathers brown, 

 edged with olivaceous. 



"At least three years seem to be required for the assumption of the perfect 

 plumage of the male. In the first year the young male is like the female, but 

 has black wings and tail; in the fall red feathers begin to make their appear- 

 ance, and the following spring the red predominates in patches." 



Iris brown; bill olive green, with a bronze hue; legs, feet 

 and claws dark blue. 



These birds, dressed in brilliant scarlet relieved by jettj black, 

 are unsurpassed in beauty by any of our northern birds. They 

 occasionally frequent the orchards and gardens, but their natural 

 haunts are within the deep forests. The males arrive upon their 

 breeding grounds about a week in advance of the females, and 

 make their presence known by singing loudly from the topmost 

 branches of the trees, and by their oft-repeated call notes, "Chip, 

 chur-r," and harsh challenge, "Chup, charr," on the approach 

 of a rival. On the arrival of the females, they sing in a softer 

 manner from the lower branches. Their courtsliips are of short 

 duration, and, soon after, a nesting place is selected and prep- 

 arations for housekeeping commenced. As soon as the females 

 begin to lay, and while sitting, the males, as at first, mount the 

 higher branches and pour forth, with tremulous wings, their 

 song of love, in a less harsh but fully as loud a strain. After 

 the young are hatched, their song is seldom heard. They do not 

 rank high in the musical scale, but their notes are lively and 

 pleasing. In flight they are strong and steady, and they glide 

 with ease swiftly through the treetops; a pretty sight, as a flash- 

 ing glimpse is caught now and then of his fiery colors, that shine 

 as brightly as the glow of the lightning bug at eve. In tlie 

 early part of the season they feed chiefly upon insect life; in 

 the latter part, upon berries. 



Their nests are placed on horizontal branches of trees, from 

 ten to thirty feet from the ground; a flat, loose structure, com- 

 posed of stems and strippings from plants, and lined with fine, 

 hair-like fibers and rootlets. Eggs three to five (usually four), 



