84 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



tail feathers black edged with green ; below paler, the 

 throat and breast ashy ; middle of abdomen huffish 

 white, the flanks greeaish. Habitat, Venezuela and 

 X. Colombia. 



Here, again, I am unable to get any information 

 respecting the wild life. Captain Pain presented five 

 specimens of this pretty CdlUste, to the London Zoo- 

 i! Gardens in 1906. 



WHITE-CAPPED TAX ACER (Stephcinophorus 



Ifiicori'jihaluf). 



Above deep blue, brighter on sides of head, lesser 

 wing-coverts and rump ; flights and tail-feathers black 

 with bluish edges; forehead, lores, and chin black; 

 centre of crown crimson, behind which the crown is 

 white to nape ; bill brownish black ; feet brown ; irides 

 brown. FcmaLei slightly duller. Habitat, Southern 

 Brazil, Paiaguay, Uruguay, and Northern Argentina. 



Mr. Hudson remarks ("Birds of Argentine Republic," 

 Vol. 1, p. 38) : " It is a summer bird in Buenos Ayres, 

 where it makes its appearance in spring in the woods 

 bordering on the Plata river, and is usually seen singly 

 or in pairs. The nest is built Lr> a tree ten or twelve 

 feet from the ground, and is somewhat shallow, and 

 lined with soft, dry grass. The female lays four eggs, 

 white, and spotted with deep red. During incubation 

 the male sits concealed in the thick foliage close by, 

 amusing itself by the hour with singing, its performance 

 consisting of chattering disconnected notes uttered in 

 so low a tone as to make one fancy that the bird is 

 merely trying to recall some melody it has forgotten. 

 or endeavouring to construct a new one by jorking out 

 a variety of sounds at random. The bird never gets 

 beyond this unsatisfactory stage, however, and must 

 be admired for its. exquisite beauty alone." 



The Zoological Society of London purchased a speci- 

 men of this species in July, 1884, which was alive in 

 1903, and although Dr. Russ only mentions it as a 

 Coccot1irau.*tp.$ ; most frequenters of British bird shows 

 will remember Mr. Swan's fine specimen, first ex- 

 hibited at the Crystal Palace, I believe, in 1902. In 

 subsequent shows it was one of the birds one looked for 

 and commented upon its condition. It is quite likely 

 that other specimens may have been imported among 

 the numerous consignments of birds from the Argentine 

 Republic. 



The specks of Tanagra are almost, if not quite, as 

 beautiful as those of the genus Callistf, and I should 

 judge them to be hardier. They should be fed in the 

 same manner. 



SILVER-BLUE TAN ACER (Tanagra cana}. 



Pale blui'sh-ash, deeper on the back, bluer on the 

 rump and sometimes on the breast; wings and tail 

 blackish, edged with greenish-blue; the upper wing- 

 coverts glittering blue ; bill dark horn colour ; feet 

 black. Female similar; probably duller. Habitat, 

 Southern Mexico, through Central America to Columbia, 

 Venezuela, Ecuador, and North Peru. 



Salmon says (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1879, p. 500) that this 

 bird builds in orange trees ; the eggs are rich brown, 

 densely blotched with darker f-'pots, especially at the 

 larger end. 



Mr. W. Goodfellow (The Tbts. 1901, p. 466) says: 

 " Common in the hot forest regions of Western Ecua- 

 dor, at Santo Domingo, Guanacillo, and other places, 

 where they frequent the banana-plantations and the 

 fruit-trees around the huts. Specimens from the foot of 

 the hills seem to be less blue than those from farther 

 down into the forests. Local name, " Azulejo." This 

 species is mentioned by Rjiss- a^ rare in the trade, but 

 it has been exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens. 



Rusts mentions T. < ///.TO//;^ a.s having once been 

 imported, but he says it was in draggled plumage ; I 

 think therefore it may have been wrongly identified. 



BLUE-SHOULDERED TANAGER (Tanagra cyanoptera). 



Above bluish-grey tinged with green ; wings and tail 

 blackish, edged with greenish-blue; lesser wing-coverts 

 shining blue ; below paler, especially in the centre of 

 abdomen ; bill deep leaden ; feet brown. Female rather 

 duller, the lesser wing-coverts greener. Habitat, 

 Sou them Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. 



According to Burmeister, who, judging by Dr. Sclater's 

 synonymy, confounded -this species with T. sayaca (as 

 he admits that he also did in the " Catalogue of Birds "), 

 this Taaager " lives in the tops of palms, and feeds 

 upon fleshy berries and soft insects. It comes much 

 into the neighbourhood of the settlements and is not 

 rare there, particularly in gardens where there are 

 palms." 



This- sipecies also has be en exhibited at the London 

 Gardens, and has been imported both into Italy and 

 England, the Cbntessa Balclelli and the Rev. B. Hems- 

 worth having both owned specimens. 



SAYACA TANAGKR (Tanagra sayaca). 



Above bluish-grey; wings and tail blackish, edged 

 with greenish-blue ; lesser wing-coverts dull greenish- 

 blue ; below paler bluish-grey ; bill leaden ; feet brown ; 

 Female similar, but probably duller. Habitat, S.E. 

 Brazil and Argentina. 



According to Hudson (Arg. Rep. 1, p. 39), this species 

 "appears in spring, in small flocks or parties of three 

 or four birds, in the woods on the sho-res of the Plata. 

 The male utters a series of peculiar squealing notes by 

 way of a song." 



It is a strange thing that Mr. Hudson, who praises 

 the stopper-screwing song of the Grey Cardinals, has 

 nothing but abuse 'for the songs of Tanagers ; yet in 

 my experience these brilliant birds, though they utter 

 some harsh notes, are capable of uttering many that are 

 far purer and less excruciating than those of the 

 Cardinals. 



PALM TANAGER (Tanagra palm arum}. 

 Olive green ; the head paler, the back darker, as also 

 the edges of the wing-coverts ; wings and tail brownish- 

 black ; the flights and tail-feathers edged with dark 

 olive ; wing-feathers below creamy-white towards base ; 

 bill dark horn-colour ; feet brown. Female smaller, but 

 similarly coloured. Habitat, S. Brazil and Bolivia north- 

 wards to Trinidad. Venezuela, Columbia. Panama, and 

 Costa Rica. 



Salmon (Proc. Zool. Soc., 1879, p. 500) observes that 

 " the nest is placed in the fork of a shrub or low tree, 

 and formed of grass-stalks mixed with roots and fibres, 

 lined and ornamented on the outside with, green moss." 

 "Eggs pale whitish, very thickly freckled with red- 

 brown .spots ; axis 95, diam. 65." 



Whitely met with this species on Roraima at an 

 elevation" of from, 3,000 to 4,000 fet-t (The 7/jiV, 1885, 

 p. 210). 



In Mr. im Thurn's garden in British Guiana, Mr. 

 W L Selatcr notes '/'. /il nni nun as common (The H>i.*, 

 1887, p. 317). Mr. W. Goodfcll.nv (The lln*, 1901, 

 p. 467) in his account of a journey through Columbia 

 and Ecuador, says: -"These birds are tame in their 

 habits, and frequent the vicinity of the huts/' 



I),. K \. Co.'ldi. describing the birds of the Capim 

 River (The Ibis, 1903, pp. 478, 479) says: "In the 

 palm-trees in front of the fa/onda was a continuous 

 movement of glittering Tanagvis (Tanngra valmarum) 

 and other Passerine birds." " Approaching the negroes' 

 cottages, I noted in the higher trees many Tanagrine 



