SUMMER RED-BIRD. 519 



friends Mr Harris and Ur Trudeao have procured female Summer Red- 

 Birds almost as red as the males. They were obtained while breeding, 

 and I am informed by these gentlemen that such cases are not rare, 1 

 also find that I was wrong in saying that this species has no song ; for 

 it sings pleasantly during the spring, for nearly half an hour in succes- 

 sion, and, although its notes have some resemblance to those of the 

 Red-eyed Vireo, they are sweeter and more varied, surpassing, indeed, 

 those of the Baltimore Bu-d, and nearly equalling those of the Orchard 

 Oriole. 



The palate is ascending, concave in the middle, with two ridges, 

 and a small soft prominence in front ; the upper mandible has three 

 ridges beneath, of which the lateral are broader. The posterior aper- 

 tiu-e of the nares is linear, and papillate on the edges. The tongue is 

 7 twelfths long, somewhat triangular, sagittate and papillate at the 

 base, fleshy and convex above, the point horny, thin-edged and lace- 

 rated. The width of the mouth is 5^ twelfths. The oesophagus is 2 

 inches 10 twelfths long, its greatest width 4 twelfths. The stomach is 

 very small, broadly elhptical, 5| twelfths long, 5 twelfths in breadth ; 

 its lateral muscles rather small ; the epithelium thin, tough, and longi- 

 tudinally rugous. Intestine 7\ inches long, from 2 twelfths to 1 twelfth 

 in breadth ; cceca extremely small, scarcely distinct from the intestine. 

 The trachea is 2 inches long, about 1 twelfth in breadth ; its rings about 

 75. Bronchial half rings about 15. The muscles are as usual ; the 

 inferior laryngeal very small. Salivary glands very slender, extending 

 to behind the articulation of the lower jaw. 



