The Nesting of the Black Tanager. 331


THE NESTING OF THE BLACK TANAGER.


Tachyphonus melaleucus.


By W. E. Teschemaker.


I believe I am right in saying that experiments in the

breeding of Tanagers have not been numerous. There is how¬

ever an old saying that “ fools press in where angels fear to

tread” ; and it was in this spirit that, when making my arrange¬

ments for this season, I determined to try a pair of Tanagers.

Now although there are several hundred known species of

Tanagers to select from I simply purchased the first I came

across and that happened to be a cock Black Tanager. It cost

me five shillings and sixpence. This was the early part of

January of this year. In due course I obtained a hen from a

dealer in the north of England.


It is usual to describe the female of this species as brown.

Personally I call her a bright tan (when in breeding plumage) ;

but perhaps I am wrong. Let it therefore be understood by these

presents that wherever the word ‘ tan ’ is hereinafter used, it is

used without prejudice.


As to the colour of the male there can be no dispute. He

is a deep indigo black, with a beautiful blue sheen, and he has a

bold white patch on the shoulder of the wing and a good deal

of white under the wings. This white patch he can cover up at

will with overlying black feathers, so that sometimes you behold

a black bird and sometimes a black and white one. He is a very

graceful bird—long and slim, with long pointed wings and a

very long tail.


I first tried the Black and Tans (as we will call them) in an

indoor flight with some Persian Bulbuls, but the latter would

soon have made an end of them. So I turned them out, on the

nth March, in the Waxbills’ aviary. This is a small but very

warm and sunny (heated) aviary, where several delicate little

species have been reared, including the Firefinch, the Bib Finch,

and the Golden-breasted Waxbill. Here they flourished ex¬

ceedingly, but unfortunately they began to persecute the small

fry in a most disgraceful manner. A convalescent Shama joined

in the game and nothing but the abundance of cover prevented

a tragedy.



