FAMILY 



Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, and Robin, there are un- 

 mistakable resemblances which it would be fatuitous to 

 ignore. But it must be remembered such similarities 

 are wholly superficial, and that an ordinarily discrimi- 

 nating ear would have no difficulty in recognizing the 

 fact. 



The most pronounced feature of the Scarlet Tanager's 

 voice is its quality of tone; every note is strongly double- 

 toned or burred. Mr. Bradford Torrey has been quick 

 to recognize this fact for he remarks, in Footing it in 

 Franconia, that the Scarlet Tanager is still singing 

 hoarsely! That exactly expresses a tone quality not 

 only nearly absent in the Robin's voice, but in a matter 

 of degree decidedly unique in the Tanager's voice. A 

 very few of the Robin's notes are burred (sometim 

 one); many of those of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak are 

 slightly burred (sometimes nearly all); but the abiding 

 characteristic of all the Tanager's notes is a double- 

 tone which can only be imitated by strongly humming 

 and whistling at the same time. There is a lazy , drowsy , 

 dozy buzz to this beautiful bird's voice which one can 

 only liken to a giant musical bumblebee, or an old-time 

 hurdy-gurdy; the unobtrusive music speaks of sum- 

 mer's peace and rest, soft zephyrs blowing over sighing 

 pine-trees, and tinkling shallows of woodland brooks. 

 From a point of view confined to pure sentiment there 

 is not the slightest similarity between this serene, 

 crooning melody and the rollicking carol of the Robin. 

 There are also several other very pronounced differences 

 between the songs of the two birds: the Tanager sings 

 in groups of two, occasionally three, notes, and vice versa, 

 the Robin in groups of three, and but rarely two, notes; 

 also, the triple notes of the Tanager are tied together 

 very closely and are not delivered staccato as are those 

 of the Robin. In Mr Cheney's records (pages 74 and 75 

 of his Wood Notes Wild) there are nineteen two-note 

 groups and but ten three-note groups. Among five of 

 my own records I find twenty-four groups of twos 

 against only six groups of threes! In both of these col- 

 lections it is plain that all the triple notes were slurred, 

 and no note anywhere rendered staccato. These differ- 



