ZOOLOGY. 183 



This beautiful tanager arrives at Puget Sound about May 15, and is a common summer 

 resident in the Territory, especially near river banks and prairies where deciduous trees grow. 

 Its song much resembles that of the black-winged red-bird, being of a few notes only, rather 

 faintly whistled in the manner of the robin, and often sounding as if the bird was distant when 

 it is quite near. I never could discover the nest of this bird, which is said to be built high in 

 an evergreen tree. Its range is, doubtless, throughout the Territory, as I have shot it east of 

 the Rocky mountains, and up to the 49th degree of latitude. C. 



The beautiful Louisiana tanager is quite abundant in certain seasons in the vicinity of Fort 

 Steilacoom. In 1854 but a limited number made their appearance, while, on the contrary, in 

 the summer of 1856 they were so abundant that I could readily have obtained a hundred 

 specimens. I have had frequent opportunities of studying their habits, and have never yet 

 seen them descend &quot;to the low bushes, or the ground, as stated by Nuttall, the reverse being 

 the rule, (at least at Puget Sound ;) the difficulty being generally to find the bird sufficiently 

 low down on fir tree branches to allow fine shot to reach it with any degree of certainty. 

 The colors of the plumage of the male and female compare relatively much as do those of 

 opposite sexes of the Carpodacus purpyreus, or of the Curvirostra americana. 



The favorite habitat of the species, in those localities where I have observed them, is among 

 the tall red fir trees belonging to that magnificent species the Abies douglassii. They seemingly 

 prefer the edges of the forest, rarely retiring to its depths unless for concealment when 

 alarmed. In early summer, at Fort Steilacoom, they are generally seen during the middle of 

 the day sunning themselves in the firs, occasionally darting from one of these trees to another, 

 or to some of the neighboring white oaks (Q. Garry ana) on the prairie. Later in the season 

 they may be seen very actively flying about in quest of insect food for their young. On the 

 10th of July, 1856, I saw one of these birds carrying a worm or insect in its mouth, from which 

 I inferred that the young were then hatched out. Both sexes during the breeding season are 

 much less shy, the males during the day time frequently sitting on some low limb, rendering 

 the scene joyous with their delightful melody. 



The bill of a specimen examined by me was quite sticky, as if smeared with the resinous 

 exudation of their favorite firs. I opened the stomach of this bird and found it filled with 

 insects, principally coleoptera. Among these I saw many fragments of the large green 

 Buprestls, found generally on the Douglas fir trees. I saw no specimens of any other class of 

 insects than coleoptera among the fragments, excepting obscure indications of wasps, or some 

 other Hymenoptera. 



NOTE. I obtained a large number of females of this species, which were transmitted to Prof. 

 Baird, but unfortunately lost. A more extended description of the -ordinary plumage of birds 

 of this sex than is contained in the description given in the General Report may be of interest. 



SP. CH. Beneath yellow, but not so bright as the male. Head and neck yellowish dusky 

 green. Forehead slightly brighter than the crown. Back greenish dusky, tinged with grey; 

 in some cases the back is of a plainer dusky, the admixture of grayish green not being so 

 apparent. Throat, breast, vent, and lower tail coverts, bright yellow, inclining to white on 

 the abdomen, and to ash on the sides. Two bars on the wings; one yellowish white, produced 

 by the tips of the greater coverts of the secondaries; the other yellow and better defined, 

 formed by the ends of the second row of lesser coverts. External margin of the tail feathers 

 greenish. S. 



