352 SYNONYMY OF PYRANGA JESTIVA 



and dealer in bird-skins. I hold this bird in particular, almost 

 superstitious, recollection, as the very first of all the feathered 

 tribe to stir within me those emotions that have never ceased 

 to stimulate and gratify my love for birds. More years have 

 passed than I care to remember since a little child was strolling 

 through an orchard one bright morning in June, filled with 

 mute wonder at beauties felt, but neither questioned nor under- 

 stood. A shout from an older companion "There goes a 

 Scarlet Tanager!" and the child was straining eager, wistful 

 eyes after something that had flashed upon his senses for a mo- 

 ment as if from another world, it seemed so bright, so beauti- 

 ful, so strange. "What is a Scarlet Tanagerf mused the 

 child, whose consciousness had flown with the wonderful appa- 

 rition on wings of ecstasy 5 but the bees hummed on, the scent 

 of flowers floated by, the sunbeam passed across the green- 

 sward, and there was no reply nothing but the echo of a mute 

 appeal to Nature, stirring the very depths with an inward thrill. 

 That night the vision came again in dreamland, where the 

 strangest things are truest and known the best; the child 

 was startled by a ball of fire, and fanned to rest again by a 

 sable wing. The wax was soft then, and the impress grew in- 

 delible. Nor would I blur it if I could not though the flight 

 of years has borne sad answers to reiterated questionings not 

 though the wings of hope are tipped with lead and brush 

 the very earth, instead of soaring in scented sunlight. . . . 



The Summer Eedbird, Pyranga cestiva, though chiefly East- 

 ern in its distribution within the United States, is represented 

 in the Colorado Basin by a variety recently discriminated by 

 Mr. Ridgway ; and the same region affords two other species of 

 this brilliant genus, the histories of which I hope to give with 

 precision and sufficient detail. 



Western Summer Redbird 



Pyranga {estiva cooper! 



a. cestiva 



Fringilla rubra !, L. SN. i. 10th ed. 1758, 181, n. 13 (from Gates, i. 56). 



Mnsclcapa rubra, L. SK i. 12th ed. 1766, 326, n. 8 (Gates, i. 56 ; Edw. 63, pi. 239, f. 2 ; Briss. 



ii. 432). 

 Tanagra testiva \or aestiva], Gm. SS. i. 1788, 889, n. 25. Lath. 10. ii. 1790, 422, n. 7. Turt. 



SJSf. i. 1806, 545. Wife. AO. i. 95, pi. 6, f. 3. Bp. Journ. Phila. Acad. 1824, 53. Bp. Ann. 



Lye. IS". T. ii. 1826, 105. Licht. "Preis-Verz. Mex. Vog. 1830, 2" ; J. f. 0. 1863, 56. Nutt. 



Man. i. 1832, 469. Aud. OB. i. 1831, 232 ; v. 1839, 518 ; pi. 44. Read, Pr. Phila, Acad. 



vi. 1853, 400. Gosse, Alabama, 1859, 36. 



