THE ROSE TANAGER. 



{Pyranga aestiva.) 



"Oh, if it might be that the roses 

 Be winged, and flying to thee, 

 Could bear thee a thousand greetings, — 

 Thou knowing they came from me ! 



And if song might be given the roses, 

 When I sped them in token to thee, 

 They should warble my song to thee softly — 

 Thou thinking the while on me !" 



— From the German of Abingulf Wegener. 



The brilliant Rose Tanager, 

 "Encircled with poetic atmosphere, 

 As lark emballed by its own crystal song." 



might be the fulfillment of the poet's 

 roseate dream, and the message that he 

 bears a vocal incense from the flower's 

 glowing heart. 



But if the burden of the one-half of 

 the tanager duet is "my love is like a red, 

 red rose," the other half probably com- 

 pletes the flowery simile, with the proud 

 refrain, "my love is like a green, green 

 leaf," and when the time of the bloom of 

 the rose is past and the rosy plumes, like 

 petals, fall away, he stands revealed an 

 olive calyx, attended as the season wanes 

 by an assemblage of belated olivaceous 

 buds, whose song and carmine tints are 

 folded away to await the summons of the 

 next year's sun. 



And when they return to us again in 

 the full flower of their beauty from their 

 southern home, gorgeous as if stained in 

 the dyes of the tropic sun, their song is 

 said to be suffused with color like the 

 mellow tones of the rose-breasted gros- 

 beak and oriole. 



This song Nuttall describes as a strong 

 and sonorous whistle like that of the Bal- 

 timore bird, "resembling the trill or mu- 

 sical shake on the fife, and is frequently 

 repeated ; while that of the female is chat- 

 tering and is chiefly uttered in alarm 

 when any person approaches the vicinity 

 of the nest. From the similarity of her 

 color to the foliage of the trees, she is 

 rarely seen and is usually mute, while the 

 loquacity and brilliancy of the male, as he 

 flies timidly and wildly through the 

 branches, render him a most distinguished 

 and beautiful object." 



Audubon pronounced the usual note of 

 this bird as unmusical, resembling the 



sounds "chicky-chucky-chuck," which is 

 not, indeed, suggestive of poetic inspira- 

 tion on the part of this "poet-prophet of 

 the spring," but the same author states 

 that during the spring he sings pleasant- 

 ly for nearly half an hour in succession, 

 and that the song resembles that of the 

 red-eyed vireo, his notes being sweeter 

 and more varied and nearly equal to those 

 of the orchard oriole. 



Mr. Ridgway describes the song as 

 somewhat after the style of the robin, but 

 in a firmer tone and more continued, and, 

 as compared with that of the scarlet tan- 

 nager, with which he is often confound- 

 ed, it is more vigorous and delivered in 

 a manner less faltering. He describes 

 the note of anxiety as a peculiar "pa-chip- 

 it-tut-tut-tut," very different from the 

 weaker cry of Pyranga rubra. 



Mr. Chapman says the summer tanager 

 may be easily identified, not alone by its 

 color, but by its unique call note, a clearly 

 enunciated "chicky-tucky-tuck." Its song 

 bears a general resemblance to that of the 

 scarlet, but to some ears is much sweeter, 

 better sustained and more musical. Ac- 

 cording to some authorities it equals the 

 robin's in strength, but is uttered more 

 hurriedly, is more "wiry" and much more 

 continued. 



Of the bird of Eastern North America 

 Mr. Maynard says : "When the cold 

 north winds cease to blow and the air 

 in the piny woods is redolent with the 

 perfume of the sundew, creeping mimosa 

 and other delicate plants, which onlv 

 bloom late in the spring, the voices of 

 the summer tanagers are heard in the tops 

 of the highest trees, when their songs are 

 full of wild melody in perfect keeping 

 with their surroundings. * * * So 

 closely do they conceal themselves in the 



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