26 TANAGER. 



31.— PARADISE TANAGER. 



Tanagra Tatao, Ind. Orn. i. 428. Lin. i. 315. Gm. Lin. i. 893. Desm. Tan. pi. I. 



Avicula de Tatao, Seba, i. t. 60. f. 6. 



Tangara, iJaw',84. 13. Will. 197. Id. Engl. 243. Em. iii. p. 3. 1. 1. f. 1. Id. 8vo. 



i. 304. P/. en/. 7. f. 1. Id. 127. f. 2. Ga&in. de Madr. ii. p. 17. lam. 44. 

 Le Septicolor, Bvf.'w. 279. t.13. Spalowsk.i. t. 41. 

 Die Siebenfarbige Merle, Schmid, Vog. p. 74. t. 60. 

 Titmouse of Paradise, Edw. pi. 349. 

 Paradise Tanager, Gen. Syn. iii. 236. Nat. Misc. pi. 4. Sliaiv's Zool. x. 472. 



THIS is somewhat less than a Goldfinch ; length six inches. 

 Bill black; crown and sides of the head yellowish green; feathers 

 small, and seem distinct from one another ; hind part of the head 

 and neck, the upper part of the back, and rump, bright fire-colour, 

 verging to orange towards the tail ; throat and fore part of the neck 

 glossy violet blue; breast, belly, sides, and vent, sea-green ; thighs 

 dull green ; the lesser wing coverts green gold, the middle ones blue, 

 and the greater violet blue ; quills black, with blue margins; second 

 quills, tail,* and legs, black. 



The females, and young males, have not the fiery colour on the 

 lower part of the back ; the male gains this at a mature age, but is 

 never attained by the female, that part being wholly of an orange- 

 colour, and in general the whole plumage is less brilliant ; but both 

 sexes vary much, as some of them are bright red, both on the back 

 and rump, while others have those parts wholly of a golden yellow. 



In a young male, in the collection of Mr. Francillon, the general 

 colour was dusky black ; beneath pale glossy blue-green ; rump and 

 upper tail coverts orange; on the top of the head just breaking out 

 with yellow green, giving a singular appearance. 



This most beautiful species is common at Guiana, about the 

 inhabited parts, appearing in flocks in the neighbourhood of Cayenne, 



* In PL enl. vii. f. 1. the tail is green and red; but this was copied from a specimen 

 which had a false tail added to it, and is not, therefore, to be regarded. — Hist, des Ois. 



