SCARLET TANAGER. 
467 
together, but soon return to their favorite station in the 
spreading boughs of the shady oak or hickory. This 
song has some resemblance to that of the Red-eyed Vi- 
reo in its compass and strain, though much superior, the 
7 wait wait being whistled very sweetly in several tones, 
and with emphasis, so that> upon the whole, our Pyran - 
ga may be considered as duly entitled to various excel- 
lence, being harmless to the farmer, brilliant in plumage, 
and harmonious in voice. 
The nest of this beautiful bird is built about the mid- 
dle of May, on the horizontal branch of a shady forest 
tree, commonly an oak, though sometimes in a tree in 
the orchard. It is but slightly put together, and usually 
composed of broken rigid stalks of dry weeds, or slender 
fir twigs, loosely interlaced together, and partly tied with 
narrow strips of Indian hemp ( Apocynum ), some slender 
grass leaves, and pea-vine runners (Amphicai'pa ) , or oth- 
er frail materials ; the interior is sometimes lined with the 
slender, wiry, brown stalks of the Canadian cistus ( Hell - 
anthemum ) ; or with slender pine leaves ; and the whole 
of the substances is so thinly platted, as readily to ad- 
mit the light through their interstices, thus forming a 
very clean and airy bed for the brood, well suited for the 
mildness and warmth of the season in which they are 
produced. The eggs, 3 or 4, are of a dull blue, spotted 
with two or three shades of brown or purple most numer- 
ous towards the larger end. They only sojourn long 
enough to rear their single brood, which are here fledged 
early in July, leaving us already for the South about the 
middle or close of August, or as soon as the young are 
well able to endure the fatigue of an extensive migration 
in company with their parents. The female shows great 
solicitude for the safety of her only brood, and on an ap- 
proach to the nest appears to be in great distress and 
