pausing only for necessary food and 

 rest until their goal is reached. A fog 

 or long rains will interrupt their jour- 

 neying, however, for they have a dis- 

 tinct and well known route northward, 

 and consult the familiar landmarks as 

 they travel, or perhaps I should say 

 'Svater-marks," for they follow -the 

 course of large rivers. It is easy for 

 them to see a river as they fly, and 

 there is always a richer abundance of 

 food near water. 



A pleasant journey it had been, but 

 from the time they reached Florida, 

 their flocks had begun to separate. Some 

 of the summer Tanagers stopped here, 

 and in other Southern states for their 

 summer nesting, until they reached New 

 Jersey. Many of the Scarlet Tanagers 

 found homes in Virginia and in New 

 England, while others crossed the line 

 into Manitoba and the great lonely for- 

 ests of fir and pine. ''Bobbs," the one 

 that Francis had first noticed, chose to 

 stay in the Virginia woods. 



The good natured nurse often brought 

 Francis to watch the beautiful bird. 



At first he could hardly believe 

 the sober green and yellow bird that 

 one could hardly distinguish from the 

 fresh leaves of yellowish green, was 

 truly the mate of the scarlet and black 

 creature that shone like flame in the 

 tree-tops. Yet, oh, how he sang in 

 joyous and jubilant rhythm when she 

 arrived from the South! Francis had 

 thought their heavy bills very ugly, but 

 they were extremely useful, as he dis- 

 covered when he saw them crushing 

 the big, black tree beetles with their 

 coats of mail. The Tanagers love 

 fruits, especially the berries, but they 

 are also great insect eaters. 



It was the nurse who first saw the 

 nest — a rather large and bulky affair 

 on a horizontal oak bough about fifteen 

 feet from the ground. Francis clapped 

 his hands with joy, but noiselessly, for 

 fear of disturbing the birds, when he 

 beheld "Bobbs' " mate at work. Of fine 

 twigs and weed stalks the outside walls 

 were made, but the lining was more 

 delicate, vine tendrils and blossom 

 stems. When the home was finished 

 and the four greenish-blue eggs, 

 speckled with dark red, were laid, our 



winged lover proved himself a faithful 

 mate. He sang for his little wife as 

 she brooded over the eggs, .choosing a" 

 branch within sight, yet hot so near 

 as to betray the precious secret, and 

 continually in the intervals between his 

 joyous carolling and his bathing in the 

 cool, dark pools under the shadow of 

 thick trees, he would bring her fruit 

 or insects. 



It was a moment of great excitement 

 when the young ones were not only 

 out of the eggs, but ready to leave the 

 nest. They were comical looking little 

 fellows ; their plumage was dull and 

 they were luce their mother, yet now 

 and then a scarlet or a bright yellow 

 feather appeared. It seemed to be a 

 jolly time for the whole family when 

 they hid in the green leaves and ate 

 tree insects — especially shiny beetles — 

 and not only gave ''three cheers," but 

 chip churred, chip churred all day longt 

 Sometimes they reminded Francis of a. 

 baseball team shouting. They seemed 

 very good-natured with other birds» 

 while the summer Tanagers, for all 

 their innocent looks, were constantly in 

 a scrimmage. 



Then a sad affliction befell "Bobbs."" 

 How it happened Francis never knew, 

 but some one threw a stone and broke 

 his wing. The nurse picked up the 

 poor, frightened bird and brought him 

 home with them and the young phy- 

 sician in the house, seeing the child's 

 suffering over the wounded bird, tended 

 him daily and brought food for him. 

 A large cage was procured — many birds 

 suffer from cages that are too small — 

 and Francis, remembering his delight 

 in water, gave him a fresh supply often. 



The nurse coaxed Francis to walk in 

 order that he might see how the mother 

 and her brood were faring, and he 

 soon began to enjoy his self-appointed 

 guardianship. During ^ August they 

 grew so restless and roving he did not 

 see them for days together, and once 

 he caught them getting supper in a 

 new way. They were actually catch- 

 ing insects in the air, darting straight 

 up for several feet and coming back 

 to the bough with their booty. Their 

 sallies lacked the easy grace of a true 

 flycatcher's circling flight. 



