SUMMER REDBIRD. ■ 15 



proportions according to the age. Some females show more or less of red, one observed 

 May 21, 1881, at "Wheatland, Indiana, having the plumage more than one half red, the 

 red color being of greater extent, in fact, than on the male, which was also procured 

 at the same time. The tint of the red is very peculiar, however, being of dull Chinese 

 orange, instead of pure rosy vermillion, as in the male. 



"In at least the southern half of Illinois the Summer Redbird is an abundant 

 species in dry upland woods. It is moreover a very familiar species, nesting habitually 

 in trees along the road-sides and even in the midst of towns. For this reason it is 

 much more frequently seen than the Scarlet Tanager, of which it is supposed by many 

 people to be a variety or special plumage. Besides being a more abundant and familiar 

 species, its notes are much louder. The ordinary one sounds like pa-chip-it-tut-tut-tut, 

 or, as "Wilson expresses it, cbickjr-chuck-chuck. The song resembles in its general 

 character that of the Scarlet Tanager, but is far louder, better sustained, and more 

 musical. It equals in strength that of the Robin, but is uttered more hurriedly, is more 

 'wiry,' and much more continued." (Ridgway.) I have almost daily heard this Tana- 

 ger's song in the latter days of April, in May, and often in June, and I can fully con- 

 firm what Mr. Ridgway says of it. To my ear it is a very exquisite, finely modulated, 

 and musical strain. 



Mr. "Wm. Brewster expresses his opinion of the song in the following words: "In 

 the thicker groves I often heard the voice of the Summer Tanager. His song is rich, 

 flowing, and not unlike that of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak, although some of his notes 

 recall those of the Robin. The call-note used by both sexes is a peculiar chuckT- 

 chuckTut. The bright colors of the male make him a conspicuous object amongst the 

 branches of the southern pine which, at least in Georgia, is his favorite tree." 



In Texas I found the nest usually in the lower limbs of post and laurel oaks, 

 about 8 to 25 feet from the ground. It is usually built in the smaller branches, near 

 the extremity of the limb, and so far from the trunk, as to be very difficult of access. 

 It is a very carelessly built structure, composed of bark-strips, a few grass-stems, and 

 pieces of leaves, the walls being so thin, that the eggs can be seen from below. Most 

 all the nests were found in the middle of May. 



"In southern Illinois," says Prof Ridgway, "the nest is usually placed near the 

 extremity of a horizontal branch of an oak tree (preferably a white or post oak), 

 alongside the edge of a wood, trees standing by a road-side being frequently selected. 

 The height at which it is placed varies, usually from twelve to twenty feet above 

 the ground, although the writer found one which was nearly thirty feet up. Its average 

 elevation is such that a man standing upon the seat of a wagon could easily reach, 

 either with his hand or whip, the majority of them. The nest is a thin and shallow 

 but very finn structure, composed of loosely interwoven wiry grass-stems, often with 

 the seed panicles attached, and is so thin that the eggs can almost always be seen by 

 one standing underneath the nest. The eggs are usually three in number, and are 

 similar in color and markings to those of the Scarlet Tanager, but somewhat 

 larger." 



In most of the nests which I examined in Texas and Missouri, four eggs formed 

 a complete set. The ground-color of the eggs is a light emerald-green, spotted 



