248 EEPOET OF KEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



Family TANGARIDiE. 



The Tanagers. 



A family of tropical birds of which only two species find their way 

 to Eastern North America. Allied to the Finches, but upper mandible 

 slightly toothed near the middle. Habits arboreal. 



a. More or less red in the plumage (males). 



h. Wings and tall black. Scarlet Tanager, p. 248 



hh. Wings and tail at least partly red. Summer Tanager, p. 249 

 J). No red in plumage (females). 



b. General tone of upper parts bufify-olive. Summer Tanager, p. 249 



bh. General tone of upper parts olive-green. Scarlet Tanager, p. 248 



608 Piranga erythromelas Vieillot. 



Scarlet Tanager. 

 PLATE 64. 



Adult male. — Length, 6.50-7.50. Wing, 3.75. Entire plumage, brilliant 

 scarlet, except wings and tail, which are jet black. In autumn the scarlet is 

 replaced by olive-green above and citron-yellow below, wings and tail remain 

 the same. The seasonal change from red to green, and vice versa, continues 

 throughout the bird's life. 



Adult female. — Pale olive-green above, greenish-yellow below; wing-coverts 

 uniform with the back ; wings and tail, dusky, edged with olive. 



Young in first summer. — Above, yellow-olive ; below, dull white, becoming 

 yellow on the abdomen, streaked with olive-brown on the breast and sides. 



Young male in first autumn. — Similar to adult female, but wing-coverts 

 black ; the rest of the wing and tail is dusky with olive edgings in contrast to 

 the uniform black wing of the adult male. 



Blale in first breeding season. — Similar to last, but scarlet instead of green ; 

 wings usually remain the same, but some jet black feathers often appear in 

 the tail. 



Nest on the branch of a tree, frail, composed of rootlets, etc. ; eggs, three to 

 four, greenish-blue, spotted with brown, .95 x .65. 



Tolerably common summer resident. Arrives April 28th (May 

 6th), departs October 10th. More abundant in the northern counties. 



In early May the Tanagers are conspicuous in the woods, shining 

 out like coals of fire among the white dogwood blossoms and gray- 

 green of the opening leaf buds. Later, when the transients have 



