THE OOLOCnST 



355- 



Owing to its peculiar structure and 

 beak the Tufted. Puffin is one of the 

 most interesting specimens an osteolo- 

 gist could well secui'e, though the strik- 

 ing coloration of the beak rapidl}^ fades 

 after death. 



Many of the eggs of the Puffin become 

 nest cracked by being rolled against the 

 sharp edges of rock by the parent bird 

 in leaving and entering the buiTow. 

 These birds nest in colonies on some 

 parts of the Island and seem to dwell 

 together harmoniously. 



As night silently stttles over the Is- 

 land, after a glorious sunset, the Puffins 

 come forth from their burrows and cau 

 be seen at twilight perched stolidly on 

 the cliffs — a gvard as it were — over the 

 Island until the tlrsi^ gray dawn in the 

 East shall announce another day and 

 the harsh glamouring of the sea birds 

 lend life to the scene once more. 

 C. Barlow, 



Santa Clara. California. 



The Scarlet Tanager- 



Did you ever see a eirl dressed in a 

 bright scarlet gown Avith black velvet 

 sleeves? Of course you have; and if 

 j'ou are anything like me, you are not 

 an admirer of this kind of dress. It is 

 too flash}' and brilliant for a street cos- 

 tume, and rather savors of show, and a 

 tendency to be conspicuous, and seen 

 of men. 



However, we can foi'give the gaudily 

 dressed person, if there are redeeming 

 trails of character, and particularly are 

 we liable to overlook the foibles of 

 fashion, if the individual possesses a 

 pleasing voice and graceful manners. 

 This comparison of the Scarlet Tanager 

 with the flashily-dressed girl, could be 

 carried still farther, but I hear some 

 girl student of bird-life, remark, that I 

 am a little crooked in my reasoning; 

 for it is Mr. S. Tanager who shines 

 forth in scarlet and velvet, while the 

 lady in the case, is known as a retiring 

 and plainly dressed home-body. 



The red-bird or flre-bird arrives, on 

 an east and west line, on a parallel 

 with New York city, about April the 

 twentieth, or a little later as a rule, 

 and sometimes not till the very last 

 part of the month. Soon after the ap- 

 pearance of the brilliant males, the re- 

 tiring, greenish-coated mates lend their 

 presence. Many birds pass to the 

 North, and during migration the Tana- 

 ger is silent, but as soon as the neigh- 

 borhood is selected for a summer home, 

 these brilliant plumaged birds of thrill- 

 ing, soulful melody, tune their silvery 

 throats in the shade of the groves. 



When a child I was told that this 

 brilliantlj'-colored bird never sang, and 

 I used to view it as a representative of 

 fashion alone, in bird dom, and did not 

 rank it among my favorites. Later, 

 when I had become familiar with its 

 beautiful song, and had listened to its 

 soulful notes in the forest, my admira- 

 tion increased. 



There are few species of our song- 

 sters which surpass this retii'ing wood- 

 land bird, and it is to be doubted if 

 there are any singers of the deep woods 

 who equal him. Although comparison 

 fails to do justice to this songster, it 

 may be said that the Tanager's refrain 

 is something like the song of the Rose- 

 breasted Grosbeak. It is not nearly so 

 loud nor quite as variable Imt there is 

 a similarity to an extent. To copy the 

 song by a series of syllables on paper is 

 seldom satisfactory. In fact, this is 

 hardly ever a success with bird songs, 

 for the songs, though familiar, do not 

 always sound 'he same to our ears at 

 difterent tiiros. From this reason, a 

 very thorough study of the notes must 

 be made liefore it is best to offer our 

 notes on bird songs to the public. I 

 have repeatedly taken notes on this 

 bird's song, but have not j'et resolved 

 them into notes which I would want to 

 to publish. While speaking of bird 

 songs and their description, a few 

 words to observers may cot be out of 

 place. 



