indeed, that in the state of Massachusetts should a sudden change take place in the weather, during the time of their spring migrations, hundreds die in the course of a night, not only in the woods and orchards, but even in the towns and villages. I witnessed a like occurrence at Eastport in Maine late in May, when I was on my way to Labrador."
While at its summer home the Scarlet Tanager loves the deep woods, although it is often seen in orchards and clearings. The nest is a very frail affair and it is usually saddled on a limb, quite near its extremity, from ten to forty feet from the ground ; it is composed of fine twigs and dried grasses, with a lining of rootlets. The clutch of eggs varies from three to five; they are greenish in color, much spotted with browns and purples.
Alexander Wilson, one of the early American ornithologists, and certainly one of the greatest, in speaking of the song of the Scarlet Tanager, says:[1] "Among the thick foliage of the tallest trees, his simple and almost monotonous notes chip, churr, repeated at short intervals, in a pensive tone, may be occasionally heard; which appear to proceed from a considerable distance, though the bird be immediately above you,—a faculty bestowed on him by the beneficent author of Nature, no doubt for his protection, to compensate in a degree for the danger to which his glowing color would often expose him. If he has little of melody in his notes to charm us, he has nothing in them to disgust." Wilson evidently failed to credit the Tanager with its best vocal efforts, which all of the later observers and writers have done. In fact, the Tanager is one of our best singers, being almost the equal of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. The songs of the two birds are often mistaken, although it is claimed that the song of the Tanager has not the roundness and fullness of that of the Grosbeak, being some- what harsh in its finish. In addition to the fascinating esthetic qualities of color and song of the Scarlet Tanager, it is of very great economic importance, as its food consists largely of noxious insects, especially those found among the tree-tops; it also eats largely of wild fruits, with occasionally a few cultivated ones.
Wilson says, "His manners are modest, easy and inoffensive. He commits no depredations on the property of the husbandman, but rather benefits him by the daily destruction in spring of many noxious insects; and when winter approaches he is no plundering dependent, but seeks in a distant country for that sustenance which the severity of the season denies to his industry in this." Among the most interesting and important branches of bird study is that of plumage and moult; in fact, without some knowledge of this subject the student makes little progress in his acquaintance with the birds commonly found about him. The Scarlet Tanager and his soberly colored consort are striking examples of differences of and also change in plumage. The illustration herewith, to some extent, explains itself. The female bird practically always wears the same dress so far as its color is concerned,
- ↑ American Ornithology : or the Natural History of the Birds of the United States.
