60 
The Blade Tanager. 
success was published in a back volume of " B.N." (Vol. 
VI., F.S., p.p. 201-3), to which I must refer my readers. 
1 must now refer to the photos illustrating this article : 
Mr. Willford's pair of birds reared several broods while with 
him, and the aviary in which they were taken was one of a 
series erected over a neglected gooseberry and currant planta- 
tion, interspersed with standard fruit trees, having been let 
run wild, the whole was a tangled mass, the bushes being 
almost obscured with convolvulus and other wild creepers. 
Amid this ideal cover the Black Tanagers built their home 
and brought up several families; further description is un- 
called for, as the photos are so full of detail as to be self- 
descriptive. Here my description of Mr. Willford's birds in 
his aviary must cease, as I have no other details of their 
history than the bare fact of their successes, and that I saw 
the nest and inc\ibating bii'd, as in photos, before their picture 
was taken. 
As already intimated, Mr. Willford's birds passed into 
my possession about four years ago; unfortunately the hen took 
a chill e)i route and only lived a day, but a little later Mr. 
Willford sent me another hen. My experience of these birds 
has been a latlier varied one. During their first season in my 
aviary nothing happened — their demeanour in the aviary be- 
ing (^harming, and their wing evolutions delightful to witness. 
What a charming bird the male is, as, after a flight, he clings 
to netting or bough, with wings outspread, butterfly --like, 
showing the full extent of the beautiful pure white shoulder- 
patches, and, as often happened, the hen alights very near, 
making a charming contrast of rich lustrous indigo -black and 
white, and richest of hazel -browns. Practically the whole 
season was spent in such deportment and the inspection of 
numerous nest receptacles, but neither nest nor eggs resulted. 
I may remark before passing on, that the male utters some 
very rich, full and mellow notes as he chases his mate about 
during the nesting season. Also that now, after the experience 
of four years, the only misdeeds I can accuse the male 
of is the slaughter of an Indian Desert Bullfinch, and one of 
his own sons, when the latter was changing from nestling to 
adult plumage, though they had for companions some small 
