65 

 THE ARCHBISHOP TANAGER. 



A very beautiful bird not ver}' well known is the 

 Archbishop Tanager {Tanagra omata). It is a rare 

 bird — I believe only five have been imported. I think 

 perhaps a description of the one in ni}' possession may 

 be of interest to some of our readers. My first I obtained 

 in July, 1899, but I only kept it a short time as un- 

 fortunately it had a fright and broke a blood vessel on its 

 brain. The present one I bought at the beginning of 

 December, 1900— he was then out of colour, looking more 

 or less a dull lilac grey all over; but after a little while 

 the head and breast became a beautiful lavender, which 

 threw up the grey throat and lower parts, and a patch of 

 bright lemon yellow appeared on his shoulders. The 

 lower coverts have an olive tint, while the flight feathers 

 and tail are dark slate colour edged with green. The 

 back, which is greenish slate colour, is prettily marked 

 with very dark slate, and if you catch the sun on it it 

 looks very lovely. The legs are grey. In size he is 

 rather larger than a Scarlet Tanager, He is of a timid 

 disposition, though tame enough to eat a grape from your 

 hand, and very fond of mealworms which he takes readily. 

 He always wants to be served first with his, and is very 

 jealous, and, I am afraid, bad tempered. The other day 

 a Lavender Finch escaped and alighted on his cage, he at 

 once dashed on the bars and nearl}- caught it. I do not 

 know whether it was only jealousy, or a tendency to 

 cannibalism, but the little bird only just escaped him. 

 He enjoys a bath every day and makes himself and ever}'- 

 thing around him very wet. As a Show bird he has never 

 been a great success ; it may be that his colouring is not 

 striking enough in an indifferent light. 



S. M. TOWNSEND. 



