148 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK 



England, especially in oak and chestnut woods, rarer in the 

 evergreen forests of northern New York and New England. 

 It arrives early in May, and is occasionally seen in Sep- 

 tember. The Tanager is chiefly a bird of the forest trees, 

 though it not infrequently nests about houses in well- 

 wooded towns or villages. It is not a very active bird, and 

 unless its note attracts attention, it escapes observation to 

 such a degree that it is commonly considered rare. 



Its song, rhythmical, hoarse, and not long sustained, sug- 

 gests a Robin with a cold. Occasionally, in the height of the 

 breeding season, it is a prolonged and sweet performance. 

 Both sexes have a characteristic call-note, chip-churr, the 

 last note lower. The female can hardly be confused with 

 anything else ; it is hard, however, to think of a yellow- 

 ish bird, with greenish upper parts, as a " Scarlet " 

 Tanaser. 



FINCHES, SPARRO"WS, ETC.: FAMILY FRIN- 

 GIIiLID.S: 



The Sparrow family includes a larger proportion of the 

 bird population of any region than any other family, but 

 many of its representatives go by the name of Finches, or 

 conceal their relationship by other names. One branch of the 

 family contains chiefly bright tree-haunting birds of north- 

 ern afiinities. Many of these are of only irregular occur- 

 rence in southern New England ; such are the Crossbills, the 

 Redpoll, and the Pine Grosbeak. The Goldfinch is common 

 throughout New York and New England, and the Purple 

 Finch common north of Connecticut. Another branch of 

 the family includes three or four bright-colored birds of 

 southern affinities ; these are the Indigo-bird, the Rose- 

 breasted Grosbeak, the Cardinal, and the Chewink. The 

 rest of the family is mainly made up of the brown, ground- 

 haunting birds, that are commonly referred to as Sparrows. 



