THE SCARLET TAXAOfX. ::.:. 



forest, the bird generally perches upon the extn m<- top of some lofty tree, from whence it 



keeps so complete a watch that baldly a> Waa.se] could -i.-.,I u|Min it without I- in/ I..-M 



and it-* presence retried by an alarm not*-, which is jN-rfectly understood not only by other 

 (iroslw-aks. luit I iy all the feathered untl some of the furred tribes. 



The n. -M of the Hawfinch i> n<>t remarkable .-iili.-r f< >r elegance or peculiarity of form It 

 i-, ver\ simplj built t>f sleudei twfai, btsiof dried >:;:-. .JM\ lichens, mill nd li >n. ! 

 j> v,, rarelessh put togethei thai it can h:n i:\ nowi ' ntn. I!;.- ftjp BM fi.,m f..m |Q --i\ 

 in numU-r. and tin 'ir color is very pale olive-green, streaked with gray and spotted with black 

 di- The birds pair in the middle of April, begin to build their neste about the end of that 

 month, ami the young are hatched alxiut the thinl week in May. 



The color of the adult male (Jn.sU-ak is briefly as follows: The head and nape of the 

 neck are fawn color, deepening towards the shoulder* and fading into gray on the other ]>or- 

 tions of the neck, and the chin and throat an- velvety Mack. The upjHr jiurt of the body 

 is chestnut-brown, and the wing-coverts are variegated with white, black, and fawn. The 

 primary f.-.uli- -r- of the wing are deep blue-black, white on the inner webs. The upper tail- 

 coverts an- fawn, and the tail its.-lf is Mack and white, with the exception of the two 01*11! ml 

 feathers, which are grayish-brown, tipped with white. The >id.-s of the neck, the breast, 

 aMomen, and whole of the under parts are brown of a lighter and paler hue than that of tin- 

 back, and the under tail-coverts are white. The female is similarly colored, but the hues are 

 much duller than in her mate. The total length of the bin! is seven inches. 



On examining the wings of this bird, the observer will be struck with the curious shape of 

 the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth primary feathers, which an- not jointed, but 

 are larger at the ends, rounded and hooked in a manner which is well compared by Yarn-11 to 

 the head of an ancient battle-axe. Perhaps the Jedburgh axe is more like the shape of these 

 curious feathers. 



ALTHOUOH not possessed of the glowing scarlet hue which decorates the cardinal Gros- 

 beak, the BLACK AND YELLOW GBOSBKAK is quite as remarkable and scarcely a less handsome 

 bird. 



Its ordinary habitation is in the northern parts of India, but it is a bird of strong wing, 

 and often wanders as far as Central India in search of food. Like others of the same group, 

 it mostly feeds on berries and various stone-fruits, crushing even the hanl -helled seeds and 

 stones in its thick and powerful leak. Kven at a distance, this bird is \.-r\ conspicuous on 

 account of the bold and dashing manner in w Inch the whole of the plumage is variegated w ith 

 black, white, and yellow, all these colors l>eing of the purest and brightest quality. 



The whole of the upper surface and the breast an- deep jetty black, with a slight silken 

 gloss when the bird is in good condition. A few snowy -white spota appear on the banal j-or 

 tions of the four central primary feathers of the wing, and several of the primaries, together 

 with tin' whole of the secondaries, are edg--d with the same hue. thus presenting a very strong 

 contra-t to the jetty feathers of the back. The lower part of the breast and the aMomcn are 

 bright K"'!'-''" yellow, so that the bird is colored only with these thn-e deridi-d hues, without 

 an\ u'f.idation through intermediate hues, as is. generally the case in birds of bright plumage. 

 The female is easily distinguished from her mate, as the up)er surface i.s dusky black, largely 

 mottled with yellow nj.n the h.-ad. n.-< k, and kick. The breast and abdomen are grayish 

 \eliow-. profusVly covered with black spots resembling the "tears" in heraldry. The quality 

 of the hue is rather variable, as in some sjiecimen-. the black is of the dee]--!, and the yellow 

 of the richest, glossiest gold, whereas in some individuals prolwbly the young male just 

 iit. ring his perfect plumage, or the old male getting f.-ble with age the black has a dirty 

 look, and the yellow is nearly white. In size this bird is about equal to the cardinal Grosbeak. 



THE Tanagrine birds are well represented by the SCAULET TAXAOER of Am- : 

 It is a very handsome bird, decorated with lively scarlet and deep black, and is possessed 

 of a tolerable, though not especially mn-ical voice. This is one of the migratory species, 

 arriving in the northern portions of the lnit*d States about the end of April, and remaining 



