PHILL1DA AND CORIDON. 125 



fast out of a nest of tent caterpillars (it was a 

 feast rather than a common meal ; for the cat- 

 erpillars were plentiful, and, as I judged, just 

 at their best, being about half grown), when a 

 couple of scarlet tanagers appeared upon the 

 scene. The female presently selected a fine strip 

 of cedar bark, and started off with it, sounding 

 a call to her handsome husband, who at once 

 followed in her wake. I thought, What a brute, 

 to leave his wife to build the house ! But he, 

 plainly enough, felt that in escorting her back 

 and forth he was doing all that ought to be ex- 

 pected of any well-bred, scarlet-coated tanager. 

 And the lady herself, if one might infer any- 

 thing from her tone and demeanor, was of the 

 same opinion. I mention this trifling occurrence, 

 not to put any slight upon/ 1 'yranga rubra- (who 

 am I, that I should accuse so gentle and well 

 dressed a bird of bad manners ?), but merely as 

 an example of the way in which feathered polite- 

 ness varies. In fact, it seems not unlikely that 

 the male tanager may abstain on principle from 

 taking any active part in constructing the nest, 

 lest his fiery color should betray its whereabouts. 

 As for his kindness and loyalty, I only wish I 

 could feel as sure of one half the human hus- 

 bands whom I meet. 



It would be very ungallant of me, however, to 

 leave my readers to understand that the female 



