37 ° 
PERCHING BIRDS. 
a conical, finch-like beak, triangular at the base and notched near the tip. The 
notch in the beak is, however, scarcely apparent, or obsolete in some of the genera, 
while in others it is greatly developed. Chiefly remarkable for their gay colours, 
the tanagers feed much more upon fruits and insects than is the case with the 
finches, while some members of the group possess vocal powers of a high order. 
All have but nine primary quills in the wing. Exclusively American, the family 
is represented by upwards of four hundred species, the majority of which are 
restricted to the inter-tropical regions of Central and South America, although 
a few migrate as far north as the United States in summer. 
violet tanager (nat. size). 
violet Tanager Of the six subfamilies into which the tanagers are divided by 
and its Allies. S c } a ter, the violet tanager {Euphonia violacea ) and its allies constitute 
the typical representatives of the second. In this group the beak is short, swollen 
at the base, but not very much broadened; while the hooked upper mandible usually 
has two or three slight serrations behind the terminal notch. The wings are 
moderate, with the first three primaries longer than the rest, and nearly equal in 
length, while both the tail and metatarsus are short. The violet tanager is a lovely 
little bird, with a rapid flight, frequenting the very tops of the trees in which it 
dwells, its soft, tuneful note often denoting its presence before the musician itself is 
seen. The nest of the violet tanager is comparatively large for so small a bird, 
spherical in shape, built of dry grass, the finer stems of creepers, and tufts of cotton. 
The interior is lined with tufts of grass. From three to four eggs are laid in a 
clutch, reddish yellow in colour, spotted with small brown spots. The strain of this 
