102 



\ EKTEBUATA. 



inches loni;, the j)luiiKii;c bcautil'iilly varied with black :ui<l uniiigc ; a native of the West Indies. 

 It is celebrated fur its ch;iriniiig song. 



Genus rYItAN<;A : I'l/ranr/a. — This incUides the Scarlet Tanager, or Black-winged Sum- 

 mer Kkuiuiu), or l-"iKi'; Imud, J*. rii!>r<i, six and a half inches long, tlic plumage a brilliant scarlet, 

 oxcept the wings and tail, whicli are black. It arrives among us from its tropica! liome in April, 

 and extends its mii^rations to Canada and Nova Scotia. Its food consists of insects, wasps, hor- 

 nets wild bees, and beetles; also berries and grapes. This gaudy sylph, as if conscious of its 

 attractions, seeks to hide them in the thickest woods, where it rears its brood. The nest is on 

 the brani'h of an oak or dthcr tree, and is of slight texture ; the eggs are three to four. During 

 incubation the male delivers a highly musical, meandering ditty, often continuing it for hours. 

 The young are attended with the most assiduous care by the parents. These birds depart for the 

 soutli in August. 



The Summer Redbird, P. (estiva, is seven and a half inclics long, the whole plumage vermil- 

 ion : it is a most beautiful and brilliant bird, resembling the preceding in its habits: found from 

 Texas to Canada. 



The Louisiana Tanager, P. Ludoviciana, is seven inches long, of a greenish-yellow color, head 

 crimson-red, back, wings, and tail black ; found in Louisiana. 



•/'■^''mm-^'^''^ ..s^^l^fe^ 



lr^a?S=\|- 



THE COMMON SPARROW OF tUROPE. 



THE SPARROWS. 

 The Sparrows, Linnets, Finches, and Buntings greatly resemble each other, and are often loosely 

 grouped together under tlie general name of Finches ; they are also frequently confounded one 

 with another in popular language. We shall proceed to notice them separately. 



Genus PASSER : Passer. — This includes the Common Sparrow of Europe — Moincau of the 

 French; Passero of the Italians; Haus- Sperling of the Germans; House-Sparrow of the Eng- 

 lish — P.domesticus: it is six inches long, brown above, beneath pale wood-brown. It is perma- 

 nent throughout Europe, and is a universal attendant upon man, building its nests as well around 

 the palace as the cottage, in the city as the hamlet. The eggs are five or six, and several broods 

 are reared in a season. Fecundity is indeed one of the characteristics of this bird. The food con- 

 sists of seeds, insects, caterpillars, young vegetables, and soft fruits. It is a universal favorite, not 

 for any merits of song, but for its lively, confiding manners, and the cheerful ideas its presence 

 imparts. This bird is also known throughout all Northern Asia. 



Genus FRINGILLA : Fringilla. — This includes the Wood-Sparrow or Tree-Sparrow of Eu- 

 rope, F. montana of Temminck, Passer monfanus of Yarrell, which is somewhat smaller than the 

 preceding ; its color above brown spotted with black, and gray beneath. It lives more aloof from 

 the habitations of man, and in winter may be seen mingling with other sparrows, finches, and 

 buntings. It is foimd throughout the northern parts of the eastern continent. 



