484 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 1 1 



nor the tail. I have seen a young bird in full ju venal plumage as 

 late as August 11, and have seen the beginning of the molt as early 

 as July 24. 



D wight (1900) describes the first winter plumage of the young male 

 as "above, including sides of head deep olive-yellow or pale olive- 

 green. Below, citron-yellow. The wing coverts are jet-black edged 

 with olive-yellow, but frequently only a part of them are renewed." 



He says of the first nuptial plumage: 



Acquired by a partial prenuptial moult probably in March and April which 

 involves the body plumage, wing coverts, tertiaries and the tail but not the 

 primaries, their coverts, the secondaries and usually not the alulae. The body 

 plumage becomes scarlet vermilion varying in intensity sometimes pale or mixed 

 with orange, usually paler but often indistinguishable from the adult. The 

 tibiae become black and red often retaining a few old greenish feathers. Black 

 tertiaries and black wing coverts without edgings are assumed in sharp contrast 

 to the worn brown flight feathers which mark adults in nuptial dress. It is not 

 unusual for only a part of the wing coverts or tertiaries to be renewed and as a 

 freak, scarlet coverts are occasionally assumed. Greenish feathers of the first 

 winter dress left over are comparatively infrequent on the body, the moult 

 usually being quite complete. 



I have seen .young males in this first nuptial plumage in which the 

 body color is decidedly yellowish, varying from "cadmium orange" to 

 "cadmium yellow" or "light cadmium," often more tinged with 

 orange above and yellower below. Year-old birds and adults have a 

 complete postnuptial molt, beginning sometimes as early as July 17, 

 and sometimes not completed before September 21. At this molt the 

 wings and tail become entirely jet-black, and the yellow-green of the 

 upper parts is deeper than in first winter plumage. 



Of the female, Dwight (1900) says: "In first winter plumage the 

 female is greener with less yellow and duller than the male and with- 

 out black wing coverts. The first nuptial plumage is yellowish and 

 so fresh that a prenuptial moult is indicated, probably more limited 

 than that of the male. At the postnuptial moult an orange tinged 

 adult winter plumage is acquired and sometimes black wing coverts 

 appear, seen in the adult nuptial plumage in which only the body 

 feathers are renewed by a partial prenuptial moult."! 



Food. — Edward H. Forbush (1907) gives an admirable account 

 of the tanager's food. He says: 



In its food preferences the Tanager is the appointed guardian of the oaks. 

 It is drawn to these trees as if they were magnets, but the chief attraction seems to 

 be the vast number of insects that feed upon them. It is safe to say that of all 

 the many hundreds of insects that feed upon the oaks few escape paying tribute 

 to the Tanager at some period of their existence. We are much indebted to this 

 beautiful bird for its share in the preservation of these noble and valuable trees. 

 It is not particularly active, but, like the Vireos, it is remarkably observant, and 

 slowly moves about among the branches, continually finding and persistently 



