366 Canaries and Cage-Birds. 



with their cage surrounded by palms and tropical plants. I therefore gave up attempting to 

 keep them, but were I to try again, I would, besides the Nightingale food, try soaked sponge- 

 cake, mixed with a few ants' eggs, and a little cayenne pepper. The following are most likely 

 to reach the hands of a collector : — 



VIOLET TANAGER {Euphonia violacea), Brazil. 

 Tanagra violacea (Russ). " Gutturama " of the Brazilians. German — "Der gemeine Organist," or "Violetle Organist." 



This is a curiously-coloured little bird, the back being a dark violet-black, and the chest 

 and abdomen bright yellow. The size of this, one of the most frequently-imported Tanagers, 

 is only about equal to that of our Siskin, and if we can supply him with plenty of fruit, the 

 bird will live for some time in the cage, consuming an incredible quantity of pears, bananas, 

 &c. Some ornithologists who have observed this species in its wild state write of its song: 

 whilst in the cage nothing beyond a peculiar gurgling but not unpleasant sound is ever heard. 

 The Violet Tanager is comparatively harmless in the aviary, being peaceable towards other birds. 



SUPERB TANAGER [CaiUste fastuosa), Pernambuco. 

 Tanagra fnshwsa (Russ). German — " Vielfarbige Tangara," "Prachttangara." 



Some of the most brilliant colours to be met with in nature under a tropical sky seem 

 to have been lavished on this bird, whose size equals that of our Goldfinch. His head is 

 bluish-green, with a golden gloss, bordered on the throat, on the side of the head, and extending 

 a little way down the back, by a band of deep shining black. From the middle of the back 

 to the tail, bright golden-orange ; whilst the chest is bright pale blue, deepening into a bright 

 azure tint on the abdomen. The tail and wings are brilliant blue, the outer wing -feathers 

 are bordered by a line of golden-orange. By this description one might imagine that the 

 contrasts of brilliant colours would be somewhat harsh ; yet Nature blends her colours so har- 

 moniously, that the appearance of this gorgeous creature is simply indescribably beautiful. No 

 wonder that the bird is imported annually, via Bordeaux and Antwerp, and that, notwith- 

 standing his high price, he tempts some amateur to repeat the experience of the writer, to 

 see the birds die within a few weeks, in spite of infinite care. 



BRAZILIAN TANAGER {Ramphocalus Brasilius), Brazil. 



Tanagra Brasiliensis (Russ), Ramphoccelns coccineus, Ramp/iociFlus Brasiliensis, Tanagra cardinalis, Red-and-black Tanager. 



German — " Der Purpurrothe Tangara," " Purpur Tangara." 



This Tanager is larger than those previously mentioned, being rather larger than a Bunting. 

 He is more frequently imported than all the other Tanagers, and is far more hardy. The 

 plumage is of rich purple-red hue all over, except the wings and tail, which are jet-black. 

 The beak is black, but the lower mandible has an elongated white patch near the root. The 

 female is reddish-brown, v/ith dullish brown wings ; but many birds sold as female Brazilian 

 Tanagers turn out to be young males. Much less delicate than the smaller Tanagers, this 

 beautiful bird will live for years, in a roomy cage, under favourable circumstances. He has 

 been bred repeatedly and reared successfully by a lady in Belgium, but not as yet elsewhere. 

 In the aviary this Tanager will be found dangerous to small birds, and inclined to kill and 

 devour newly-hatched fancy Finches. His food is like that of the other Tanagers, but he is 

 less dainty, and will take a little raw beef, a few seeds, boiled rice, and any kind of sweet 

 fruit, besides Nightingale food. 



