205 



compel it, to roost at night in a warm covered house. 

 Under these conditions it will flourish. 



I said above that the Violet Tanager is almost 

 entirely frugivorons, but this is not quite a correct 

 statement of fact, for I find that it is very fond of 

 slugs, and in particular of that large black variety of 

 garden slug, which I have never seen any other bird 

 whatever attempt to touch. It has a curious method 

 of devouring them. Not having apparently any pre- 

 hensible power in its feet, it carries the slug in its bill 

 to a convenient perch and, laying it carefully across 

 the latter, proceeds to gently nibble and swallow por- 

 tions of the interior. It continues this process for a 

 long time with much apparent relish, never once with- 

 drawing its beak (in which case of course the slug" 

 would fall to the ground) ; but the process cannot be 

 at all pleasant for the slug. 



One of the hen Tanagers was quite ready to pair 

 in the Autumn of igo6, but no nest was built. In 

 February of this year, however, the male bird began 

 to build with the greatest possible energy and indus- 

 try. The site he selected was a wooden nest l)ox, and 

 the nest was a spherical one with an arched roof (see 

 plate). In order to secure a photo of the interior it 

 was necessary to cut through the domed roof with a 

 pair of scissors, but a close inspection of the print will 

 .show that the nest is a spherical one. Depth of nest 

 2i inches ; diameter of cup 2^ inches. As the majority 

 of Tanagers build open nests this is not quite what one 

 would expect ; but, as I have now seen two nests of 

 the Violet Tanager, built by different birds under my 

 own eyes, I have no hesitation in assuming (though I 

 have no work of reference on the TaiiagridcB at hand) 



