BIRDS OF DURHAM AND VICINITY. 
79 
Family TANAGRID/E. 
Piranga erythromelas. Scarlet Tanager. 608. 
Scarlet Tanagers are more common than is generally supposed by 
people unfamiliar with their notes and habits. They frequent decid- 
uous woods as a rule, where, among the foliage, even the flaming red 
of the male ordinarily escapes notice. In the spring of 1900, which 
was late and cold, an unusual number of them were noted by all 
observers. At one time I saw no less than three males in the maples 
in front of Thompson hall. The prolonged cold prevented insects 
from coming out of hibernation at the usual time, and also delayed 
the hatching of their eggs, so that birds were reduced to sad straits 
for food. I even saw Tanagers hopping forlornly about the fields, 
searching for something to eat. Tanagers begin to arrive from the 
south the first w^eek in May, and most of them are gone by the first 
of October. They moult twice a year like Bobolinks. In August the 
males begin to show green patches on their red coats, and before 
September is gone there is not a red feather to be seen. I have a 
male in my collection, taken here on the fifth of October, w^iich has 
the black wings and tail of the nuptial dress but otherwise is entirely 
olive green. This Tanager's song in tone and syllables is like the 
Robin's, but it is far more hurriedly delivered. When a person has 
learned the Tanager's song and call note, cJiip, chitrr, he will have 
little trouble in finding him. 
Family HIRUDINID.'E. 
Progne subis. Purple Martin. 611. 
Martins are strangely local, and while many villages and farms are 
favored by their presence, Durham is not. They have quite aban- 
doned their early habitations in hollow trees, and now depend on 
artificial retreats for nesting sites. They have several virtues, accord- 
ing to human standards, among which are good looks, a propensity 
for catching winged insects, and an antipathy for hawks, exceeded 
only by Kingbirds. They also have many interesting ways, especially 
in their courteous intercourse with one another, that bird lovers find 
entertaining. It is not strange then that more houses are erected for 
their benefit than are occupied. They begin to appear about the 
twentieth of April, and by the end of that month are all back at the 
