SUMMER TAN ACER 85 



wary to keep them for neighbors. The nest is built 

 of fine rootlets and its walls are often so thin that the 

 eggs can be counted from below. The eggs, 3 to 4, 

 are bluish-white, much speckled with brown. 



Summer Tanager: Piranga rubra. 



Length 7^ inches. 



Male, rose-red all over, except a little brown on the wings. 

 Female, olive-green above, and yellowish below. 

 Resident (uncommon) from April 15 to September 25; 

 winters in Central and South America. 



The Summer Tanager is less brilliant than his scar- 

 let cousin and without the black wings and tail. 

 He is a bird of the Southern States, and Washington 

 is nearly the northern limit of his breeding range. 

 While uncommon in this vicinity, he is not so rare 

 near the city as the Scarlet Tanager, and may gener- 

 ally be found at Takoma Park and Brookland, also 

 at Mount Vernon. He likes open, deciduous woods, 

 and builds much like the Scarlet. 



Mr. Ridgway thinks the Summer Tanager a finer 

 songster than the Scarlet and says his song is " very 

 Robin-like but much more vigorous and sustained 

 than that of the Robin." His call-note is given as 

 pe-ttip-ka. 



