390 SCARLET TANAGER.
season in Th,. very vicinity of tho squatter"? ¡»bin, to the patch of open
ground near which it constantly resorted to search lor coleiiptora and
other inserts, forming its slightly built » â l on the lower branch of a
spreading oat, or on a - tee close to the road-side. It'il composed extermilly>
bf a few dry weeds and small twigs, mid scantily lined with
fibrous Ififs or slender grasses. In Louisiana the eggs are deposited
by We first i | .May, about à month later in our central districts, but
in the Stafe îif.'.Mairiefrequently not lintil tho middle ôf June. It never
raises more than one brood in the season ; and i f e y e observed" that,
notwithstanding the difference in the temperatffiiiif our Southern' and
Northern States, tlie young arc 110 sooner ahle to travel than they are at
ô»ê;è: led off, so that families nuiy be seen travelling southward for
many weeks ¡11 succession, and by the end of September all have left
the l'nitoil ïiMtgfe:' TlH^gJsfca'io 'from three to live, smooth, of a
dull greenish-blue colour, speckled with reddish-brown and light purple,.
a i d measure a little more than 7 eighths ,,f an inch in lengtt-, by 5
eighths in breadth. The young anrfed with insects and fruits of many
stfrts. At this period the old birds feed also on insects and larva-, but
toward the latter period of their stay they all subsist chiefly on the
•smaller berries and'grapes.
The parental affecAh of this bird has linen so beautifully and truly
described by \Vii.„ox,. that, in presentiïtg the following' statement regarding
it, I must contribute to the gratification' of your kindly feelings
as inucfi as of my own. " Passing through ail orchard onfcmorniflg,
I caught o i f i pM« young birds that had'but lately left the nest.
1 carried it"frith me about half a mile, »'shew it to my friend, Jlr
W I L L I A M BARTKAM ; and, having procured a cage, hung ft upon one of
the large pine tresis in the: Botanic Garden, within a fmv feet of the
ntst of an Orchard Oriole, which also contained young ; hopeful that
the charity or tenderness of the OMolos would induce them to supply
the cravings of the stranger. But charity with them, as with too
many of the human.race, began and ended at home. The poor orphan
#as altogether neglected, notwithstanding its plaintive cries ; and, as
it refused to be fed by me, I was about to return it back to the place
where I found it, when, towards the afternoon, a Scai-let Tanager, no
doubt its own parent, was seen fluttering round the cage, endeavouring'Wget
in. Finding this imprâctsaifte, he flevv off, and soon returned
with food in his bill ; and continued to feeji It'till after sunset, taking
up his lodgings on the higher branches of the same tree. In thé
SCARLET TANAGER. 391
morning, almost as.s%m a.s day broke, he was again seen most active
}y engaged in the same affectionate manner; and, notwithstanding the
insolence, of the Orioles, continued his benevolent offices the whole day,
roosting at night as before. On the third or fourth day; he appeared
extremely solieitpus for the liberation of his .charge, using every expression
of distressful anxiety, and every nail and invitation that nature
had put in his power, for him to conic out- This was too much
lor.the feelings of mv venerable friend : he procured a ladder, and,
mounting to the spot where the bird was suspended, opened the cage,
took out the.prisoner, and restored him tp liberty and to his parent,
who, with notes of great exultation, .accompanied his flight to the
woods. The happiness of my good friend, was scarcely less complete,
and shewed itself in his benevolent .countenance,; and I could not refrain
saying to myself,^*If such sweet sensations can be derived from
a .single circumstance of this kind, how .exquisite—now unspeakably
rapturous must the delight of those individuals have Jie.en, who have
rescued their fellow beings from death, chains, and imprisonment, and
restored them to the arms of their friends and relations ! .Surely in such
godlike actions, virtue is its own. most abundant reward."
TASAGRA RUBRA, Wtm. Syrn. Nut. vol. iU.—Lath. tnd. Ornith. vol. i. p. 420.
.StAHLl.T TASAGKR, TASAOKA «emu, WSsoB, AllHT. Oraith. vol. p.42, pi. 11,
i*: 3- M a l e ; %-4. jbVmaJe.
TANAGRA RUBRA, Ck. Borypparte, Synopsis of .Birds of United State«, p. 105.
SCARLET TAMAGER, or Iii.ACK \vtS(ii-:i) SUMMER BED-BIRD.
PYRANOA RUBRA, SCARLET I BLACK-WINGED TANAGER, Richards, and Shams. Fauna
. Bor.-Americana, vol. ii. p. 273.
Adutt Male in Spring. Plate CCCLIV. Fig. 3.
Bill rather short, robust, compressed toward the end, acute. Upper
mandible with Its -dorsal outline decimate and slightly convex, the
ridge rather narrow, the sid.es convex, the edges sharp, overlapping,
. with two slightly prominent small festoons about the middle, and a
faint notch close, to the tip, which is a little declinate. Lower mandible
strong, with the angle short and wide, the dorsal line straight, the
back broadly convex, the sides convex, the. edges sharp, the tip acute.
Nostrils round, basal.
Head rather largo, ovate, flaltUii above ; neck very short; body
ovate, compact. Legs shortish ; tarsus short, compressed, rather stout,