234 SUMMER RED BIRD.
clusters from every branch, from which, when they are fully ripe, a good
shake will make them fall in astonishing quantity. The skin is thick
and very tough, the pulp glutinous, but so peculiarly flavoured as to be
very agreeable to the taste. These grapes are eaten by most people,
although an idea prevails, in Lower Louisiana particularly, that the eating
of them gives rise to bilious fevers. For my part, I can well say,
that the more I have eaten of them the better I have found myself; and
for this reason seldom lost an opportunity of refreshing my palate with
some of them in all my rambles. I am equally confident, that their juice
would make an excellent wine. Another absurd opinion prevails in
Louisiana, which is, that the Common Blackberries, however ripe and
pleasant, produce boils; although the country people make use of a
strong decoction of the root as a cure for dysentery.
T A N A G R A S S T X V A , Gmel. Syst. Nat. voL i. p. 889.—Lath, Ind. Orn. vol. L p. 4 2 2—
Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 105.
S U M M E R T A N A G E R , Lath. Synops. vol. iii. p. 220.
S U M M E R R E D B I R D , T A N A G R A J E S T I T A , Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. i. p. 96, PI. vi.
fig. 3. Male, fig. 4. Female.
Adult Male. Plate XLIV. Fig. 1.
Bill rather short, robust, tapering, compressed, acute ; upper mandible
a little convex in its dorsal outline, convex on the sides, the acute
edge slightly notched near the tip, which is a little decimate; lower
mandible also a little convex in its dorsal outline, with the edges inflected.
Nostrils basal, lateral, round. Head large. Body rather long.
Feet shortish ; tarsus compressed, anteriorly scutellate, about the length
of the middle toe; outer toe united at the base to the middle one;
claws arched, compressed, acute.
Plumage soft, blended, glossy. Wings of ordinary length, the
second quill longest. Tail slightly emarginate, of twelve acute feathers.
Bill yellowish-brown above, bluish below. Iris hazel. Feet and
claws light greyish-blue. The whole plumage is vermilion, brighter on
the lower parts, excepting the tips and inner webs of the quills, which are
tinged with brown.
Length 7£ inches, extent of wings 1 1 ; bill along the ridge along
the gap 1; tarsus £.
SUMMER RED BIRD. 235
Adult Female. Plate XLIV. Fig. 3 .
The general colour above is light brownish-green, the sides of the
head and the under parts generally brownish-yellow; larger wing-coverts
dusky, edged with yellow ; quills deep brown, externally margined with
yellowish-red; tail-feathers of the same colour. The bill, eyes and legs
are of the same tints as in the male.
Dimensions nearly the same.
Young Male. Plate XLIV. Fig. %
Dull vermilion, spotted with dull green.
THE WILD MUSCADINE.
V I T I S R O T U N D I F O L I A , Mich. Flor. Amer. vol. ii. p. 2 3 1 . Pursh, Flor. Amer. vol. i.
p. 1 6 9 . — P E N T A N D R I A M O N O G Y N I A , Linn. V I T E S , JUSS.
Leaves between heart-shaped and kidney-shaped, nearly equally
toothed, shining on both sides.