80 TANAGERS 



'Nonpareil' he has also been named, and, in the eastern 

 United States, at least, he is without equal in the bright- 

 ness of his colors. The bird's haunts are not unlike those 

 of the Indigo Bunting, and its song is said to resemble the 

 Indigo's but to be more feeble. It builds in bushes and low 

 trees, laying 3-4 bluish white, brown-spotted eggs in May. 



DICKCISSEL 



Spiza americana. Case 7, Fig. 20 



The yellow on the breast and, in the male, black crescent will 

 distinguish this species from all its Sparrow kin. L. 6. 



Range. Chiefly prairies of the Mississippi Valley, from Texas 

 and Mississippi north to Minnesota and southern Ontario; now 

 rare east of the Alleghanies. 



Washington, formerly "very abundant," now seen only occa- 

 sionally, May-Aug. Cambridge, casual, found nesting at 

 Medford, June 9. 1877, where several birds were observed; not 

 uncommon in 1833-34 (see Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, III, 1878, 

 45. 190)- N. Ohio, rare S. R., May 1. Glen Ellyn, rather rare 

 and local S. R., formerly common, May 3-Sept. 5. SE. Minn., 

 common S. R., May 11-Aug. 20. 



The Dickcissel is a bird of the fields who, from a weed- 

 stalk or fence by the wayside, sings his unmusical dick- 

 dick cissel, cissel, cissel. The nest is built on the ground 

 or in a bush and the 4-5 pale blue eggs are laid the latter 

 half of May. 



TANAGERS. FAMILY TANGARIDiE 



^ SCARLET TANAGER 

 Piranga erythromelas. Case 7, Figs. 27, 28 



The black wings and tail of the male will distinguish him from 

 our other two red birds — the Cardinal and Summer Tanager. 

 The olive-green female may be known from all our other olive- 

 green birds by her larger size. L. 7I. 



Range. Nests from northern Georgia and southern Kansas to 

 Canada; winters in the tropics. 



