154 CASSELL'S BOOK OF BIRDS. 



THE TAPIRANGA. 



The Tapiranga, or Tije (Ramphocelus Brasilianus), the only species of this group to which 

 we shall allude, is seven inches in length, and seven inches across the wings ; the wings and tail each 

 measure three inches. The female is somewhat smaller. The plumage of the male is thick and 

 harsh, and of a light blood-red ; the wings and tail are brownish black, becoming lighter as the bird 

 advances in age ; the feathers of the upper wing-covers are bordered with blood-red, the under covers 

 being black, marked with white, the feet deep brownish grey. The fore part of the back and 

 throat of the female are of a quiet greyish brown ; the breast and entire lower portion of the 

 body are a light reddish brown, the upper tail-covers tinged with blood-red, the wings greyish 

 brown, edged with a paler shade, and the tail-feathers blackish brown. The beak of this species is 

 without callosities, and the eyes pale red. The young male and female are alike in colour, but the 

 plumage of the former is of a somewhat deeper shade, and there is a white skin on the lower mandible. 

 In both birds the upper tail-covers are blood-red. During the time that the young are acquiring the 

 red feathers their plumage has the appearance of being spotted. 



The Tapirangas inhabit the Brazils, and there frequent such localities as are at no great distance 

 from the banks of a river, or from marshy ground covered with reeds. In their native land these 

 beautiful birds are very common. Except during the breeding season, their time is passed in flying 

 about in small flocks, in search of berries and fruit, and they exhibit a very cunning preference for the. 

 finest and more valued kinds, such as oranges and citrons, to which they do great damage. Young and old 

 are alike engaged in these foraging parties, and are only distinguishable by their cry, that of the old 

 bird resembling the twitter of our Sparrows. In disposition this species is lively and restless, and by 

 no means shy. The nest, which is placed upon the forked branch of a tree, is deep and semi-globular 

 in shape, formed of moss, and delicately lined with fibres or blades of grass. The eggs, two in 

 number, are of a beautiful sky-blue or apple-green, spotted with brown, and marked with black 

 streaks at the broad end. The Tije' is unknown in mountainous regions. 



The BUTCHER-BIRD TANGARAS (Lanio) are also recognisable by the formation of the 

 beak, which is somewhat elongated ; the upper mandible is hooked at its extremity, and possesses 

 (what constitutes its greatest peculiarity) a strong tooth-like appendage situated near its apex. The 

 wings are iong, and the tail of moderate length, slightly forked. 



THE BLACK-HEADED BUTCHER-BIRD TANGARA. 



The Black-Headed Butcher-Bird Tangara (Lanio atricapillus) is about five and a quarter 

 inches long, and eight and a quarter across the wings ; the tail measures two and a half inches, and 

 the wings three inches. The plumage of the male is black upon the upper part of the body ; the 

 forehead, eyes, throat, and a line over the tail greenish brown, the under parts of a bright yellow, and 

 the centre of the back and breast of a reddish shade ; a white line passes over the wings. The coat 

 of the female is greenish red, the head dark green, and the middle of the belly bright yellow. 



These birds are numerous in Guiana, where they generally live in pairs upon the trees in planta- 

 tions, or near the coast. D'Orbigny found them in small flocks, occupying the hot woods at the foot 

 of the Bolivian Alps, and perching so high upon the branches as to render their capture difficult. 

 Their food consists of seeds and the tender shoots of young plants. 



The ORGANIST TANGARAS (Euphone) constitute another group. These birds bear a strong 

 family resemblance to the True Tangaras, from which they have been separated on account of their 



