SCARLET TANAGER. 73 



and tail, his appearance is truly splendid. His 

 sojourn with us is but short ; he arrives here in 

 May, and departs again about the latter end of 

 August. His common call sounds like, chip 

 churr^ the last syllable dwelt upon ; he has, be- 

 sides, a fine mellow note. They begin to moult 

 before they leave us. The male then has a very 

 curious appearance ; the young feathers come out 

 green, consequently he is all spotted over scarlet 

 and green. Probably like the American Gold- 

 finch, and others, he has two suits, and on leaving 

 us puts off his scarlet, and dons the green. 



FOOD. The food I have found most agreeable 

 to these birds is grated stale bread, egg and 

 bruised hempseed, the same as forthe Sky Lark, 

 with the addition of fruit, berries and cherries in 

 the summer, and in the winter apple and black 

 currants. They must be fed sparingly, as they 

 take but little exercise in the cage, and are apt 10 

 get too corpulent. The only way I know to 

 guard against this is to give them plenty of fruit, 

 and less of solids. 



CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SEXES. The male in 

 full plumage, is of a bright scarlet, the wings and 

 tail jet black. The female has the upper parts 

 5 



