FAMILY Tanagid2. 
Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, and Robin, there are un- 
mistakable resemblances which it would be fatuitous to 
ignore. But it must be remembered such similarities 
are wholly superficial, and that an ordinarily discrimi- 
nating ear would have no difficulty in recognizing the 
fact. 
The most pronounced feature of the Scarlet Tanager’s 
voice is its quality of tone; every note is strongly double- 
toned or burred. Mr. Bradford Torrey has been quick 
to recognize this fact for he remarks, in Footing it in 
Franconia, that the Scarlet Tanager is still singing 
hoarsely! That exactly expresses a tone quality not 
only nearly absent in the Robin’s voice, but in a matter 
of degree decidedly unique in the Tanager’s voice. A 
very few of the Robin’s notes are burred (sometimes not 
one); many of those of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak are 
slightly burred (sometimes nearly all); but the abiding 
characteristic of all the Tanager’s notes is a double- 
tone which can only be imitated by strongly humming 
and whistling at the same time. There isa lazy, drowsy, 
dozy buzz to this beautiful bird’s voice which one can 
only liken to a giant musical bumblebee, or an old-time 
hurdy-gurdy; the unobtrusive music speaks of sum- 
mer’s peace and rest, soft zephyrs blowing over sighing 
pine-trees, and tinkling shallows of woodland brooks. 
From a point of view confined to pure sentiment there 
is not the slightest similarity between this serene; 
crooning melody and the rollicking carol of the Robin. 
There are also several other very pronounced differences 
between the songs of the two birds: the Tanager sings 
in groups of two, occasionally three, notes, and vice versa, 
the Robin in groups of three, and but rarely two, notes; 
also, the triple notes of the Tanager are tied together 
very closely and are not delivered staccato as are those 
of the Robin. In Mr Cheney’s records (pages 74 and 75 
of his Wood Notes Wild) there are nineteen two-note 
groups and but ten three-note groups. Among five of 
my own records I find twenty-four groups of twos 
against only six groups of threes! In both of these col- 
lections it is plain that all the triple notes were slurred, 
and no note anywhere rendered staccato. These differ- 
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