﻿The Scarlet Tanager 



By WILJJAM DUTCHEK 

 President ol the National Association oi Audubon ' ..■ 



iliattonal #00octatton ot Audubon fejoftfiirs 



EDUCATIONAL LEAFLET NO. 9.1 



It is the wish of the writer to repeal here whai has been said in previous 

 leaflets, that the fundamental object of this series of publication 

 induce the student, as well as the agriculturist, to gel in < lose tou< h with 

 Nature itself, not through books oi the classroom bui oui in the open 

 Nor must this association be restricted to one subjeel birds; it musi 

 broad and general, embracing all of Nature, in order to be oi the gr< atesi 

 educational value. The fabri< woven by Nature is of sm h exquisite pi 

 that each thread must be examined in ordei to enable on< to appreciate the 

 composite' whole. The bird stui ■ ni n;itur;dly \<-<\ to < onsidej manj phas< 

 of nature, insects, plants and especially tree: I ther< any mor< beautiful 

 feature of out-of-door life than a forest? The trees of the foresi are a lesson 

 of patient endeavor, and their hoary trunk-, indicate th< ow proa 

 which Nature builds; each ring in the bole is a record of th< age: taken to 

 fashion this exquisite piece of Natun s hand worl '-■. on< ooks ■ own the 

 long aisles and vistas of trees he is reminded of th< tat« co in a 



great cathedral. Is it any wonder tha.t the Druids, held their r< gic cer< 

 monies in Nature's temples and thai they deified the oak as the < 

 strength, while the clinging mistletoe typified the dependence of man. If 

 one looks down, it is to find a carpet of many-hued wild flowers an< tno ■ 

 which hides the processes of change that are going on; the leaf of last 

 is turning into the mold that helps build the foresi and serve; 

 " / -voir to store surplus rain, thus preventing devastating floods. 'J J- 

 the openings in the foliage the sunlight streams dov fori upon the 



ground mosaics of light and shadow, more beautiful in color and design than 

 any ever fashioned by the hand of man. Longfellow says, " - with 



folded hands, seems kneeling there in prayer.' 7 It is while in this hallowed 

 place we hear avoicein the tree-tops and, looking upward ee 1 

 his beautiful dress of scarlet and black, a true wood bird, a fiti ng o< • 

 of such a home. 



The Tanager is a member of a large family of distin< an bin 



Dr. Sclater, the eminent British ornithologist, gives no Jess than 375 spe< ■ 

 which are arranged in 59 genera/" Mr B dgw: atest am rnosi 



*Cata 02 < Bi 



;.;tin of the Ui es National M 



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