84 THE Birps Asout Us. 
ciated that it took excellent eyesight to determine 
which was which, as they darted about in the open 
space that extended from their nests to the opposite 
shore of the wide expanse of water. 
In the Tanagers, which have, so far as habits go, 
absolutely nothing in common with swallows, we 
have a small family or group—so far as the United 
States is concerned—of gaudily-colored birds of 
moderate size. The true home of these birds is in 
Central and South America, and the few that we 
have within our limits are by no means the best ex- 
amples, if guided by mere brilliancy of color. One, 
the Blue-headed Euphonia, is but a visitor to South- 
ern Texas, if that, but there is no question about the 
others. The Hepatic Tanager of Arizona and New 
Mexico is scarcely known except to the professional 
ornithologist, but the Scarlet Tanager and Summer 
Red-bird are known to most people; the former mi- 
grating into New England, the latter seldom vent- 
uring beyond Southern Pennsylania. In the extreme 
Western States, going north into British Columbia, is 
the Louisiana Tanager. This is a beautiful black, 
yellow, and red bird; but the Eastern ones are no less 
gayly colored; the summer red-bird being of a uni- 
form red; the tanager, scarlet, with black wings and tail. 
Forty years ago the summer red-bird was a regular 
visitor to Central New Jersey, coming in May and re- 
maining until October. They were birds of the orchard, 
and as such I well remember them. Wilson speaks 
of them in a rather cold, unenthusiastic way, as if the 
journey into Jersey from Philadelphia was too much 
trouble, even if sight of the red-birds did reward it: 
