526 SCARLET TANAGER. 



lio-hter, beneath ; winjiis and tail, brnwn, with the featliers eilged with t;reenish. The younj^ of both sexes 

 are simikir to the adult female, and the adult males in Autumn are green, with black wings and tail. Iris 

 and feet, brown ; bill, greenish brown. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Sometimes the males have the middle coverts edged with red and occasionally there are two bars of red. 

 Distinguished at once in the adult male plumage by the bright colors contrasting with the black wings and 

 tail. The female is greener than the same sex in the Summer Tanngei- and lacks the wdng bands seen in the 

 Louisiana Tanager. Occurs in summer throughout Eastern United States, north of the Carolinas, winter- 

 ing in Eastern Mexico, Central America, to middle South America. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Length, from (1.62 to 7.40; stretch, 10.30 to 12.7.J ; wing, 4.02 to 4.fX»: tail, 2.4o to 3.00; bill, .40 

 to .75 ; tarsus, .6.J to .75. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nbsts, placed in trees, composed of twigs. They are slight structures and are flat in fitrm. Eggs, 

 three or four in number, oval in form, bluish green in color, spotted, blotched and dotted with purplish brown 

 and lilac. Dimensions, .60 by .85 to .65 by .!.)5. 



HABITS. 



The Scarlet Taiiager usually makes its appearance in Massachusetts from May 10th 

 to the 26th and scatters through the open woodlands. Almost as soon as tliey arrive the 

 males begin to utter their loud, characteristic song which somewhat resembles that of the 

 Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ijut the Tanager's song differs from it in having a double intona- 

 tion. The alarm note given alike by both sexes resembles the syllables " chip, chur," 

 which has a decided ventriloquial eflfect, insomuch .so that it is often almosi impossible to 

 locate the birds when they are uttering it. 



The Scarlet Tanagers breed in early June, often placing their nests upon the topmost 

 bough of some swaying maple or oak sapling, generally choosing one that stands on the 

 margin of a woods. The Tanagers are particularly fond of rather scattering young 

 growths of oak and maj)les and frequent them rather than the more heavily wooded 

 sections. I found them ver^^ abundant in woodlands of this nature at Williams^jort, 

 Pennsylvania, fifteen or twenty males often being in sight at one time. They were very 

 unsuspicious there, allowing me to approach within a few yards of them. They cannot 

 be considered shy, anywhere, cA^en in Massachusetts one can always approach quite near 

 them by using a little care and moving with caution. 



I have proved a number of times,' that, most unquestionably, the bright males moult 

 into the green dress of the females in the autumn. Late in August it is not at all difficult 

 to find birds which are actually changing from one ])lumage to the other, and by the 

 second week in September it is almost impossible to obtain a bright Tanager, all ha\ing 

 assumed the dull dress. These Tanagers linger Avith us until late in September, and 

 dm'ing the latter part of this month, and even into October, in Pennsylvania. 



