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Scarlet Tanager. Vvymr * fcouu . 
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This Tanager, the Baltimore Oriole’s rival in beauty, is the less 
active, the less vigorous charmer of the two, and has less vocal 
power ; but it would be difficult to imagine a more pleasing and 
delicate exhibition of a bird to both eye and ear than that pre- 
sented by this singer in scarlet and black, as he stands on the 
limb of some tall tree in the early sun, shining, and singing, high 
above the earth, his brief, plaintive, morning song. The Tana- 
ger s is an unobtrusive song, while the percussive, ringing tones 
of the Oriole compel attention. In the spring of 18S8 a beautiful 
singer greeted me one summer morning from the top of a tall oak 
near the house. He paid frequent visits to the same tree-top 
during the entire season, and sang the same song, beginning and 
ending with the same tones : 
Still, like other birds, he had his variations : 
These were all June songs, the last two being sung late in the 
afternoon. 
Though the singer’s home was in the near woods, we did not 
discover the nest of his mate. There came a time of silence, and 
an absence of flaming plumage, and finally a family of Tanagers 
—undoubtedly ours — male and female and three unfinished young 
Tanagers of a neutral, olive tint, were about our grounds in the 
last days of August, evidently preparing to leave for their home 
in the tropics. The husband and father had doffed both his 
‘singing-robe’ and his garment of scarlet, and wore in silence a 
traveling-dress of mixed pea-green and willow-yellow. More 
desirous than ever to avoid notice, there was about him a most 
captivating air of quietness and modesty. 
Jan, 1881, p, 3 C- 37 ■ 
27 
