One of the most brilliant and striking of all American birds is
the Scarlet Tanager. From its black wings resembling pockets, it
is frequently called the "Pocket Bird." The French call it the
"Cardinal." The female is plain olive-green, and when seen together
the pair present a curious example of the prodigality with which
mother nature pours out her favors of beauty in the adornment of some
of her creatures and seems niggardly in her treatment of others. Still
it is only by contrast that we are enabled to appreciate the quality
of beauty, which in this case is of the rarest sort. In the January
number of BIRDS we presented the Red Rumped Tanager, a Costa Rica
bird, which, however, is inferior in brilliancy to the Scarlet, whose
range extends from eastern United States, north to southern Canada,
west to the great plains, and south in winter to northern South
America. It inhabits woodlands and swampy places. The nesting season
begins in the latter part of May, the nest being built in low thick
woods or on the skirting of tangled thickets; very often also, in an
orchard, on the horizontal limb of a low tree or sapling. It is very
flat and loosely made of twigs and fine bark strips and lined with
rootlets and fibers of inner bark.
The eggs are from three to five in number, and of a greenish blue,
speckled and blotted with brown, chiefly at the larger end.
The disposition of the Scarlet Tanager is retiring, in which respect
he differs greatly from the Summer Tanager, which frequents open
groves, and often visits towns and cities. A few may be seen in our
parks, and now and then children have picked up the bright dead form
from the green grass, and wondered what might be its name. Compare it
with the Redbird, with which it is often confounded, and the contrast
will be striking.
His call is a warble, broken by a pensive call note, sounding like the
syllables _chip-churr_, and he is regarded as a superior musician.
"Passing through an orchard, and seeing one of these young birds that
had but lately left the nest, I carried it with me for about half a
mile to show it to a friend, and having procured a cage," says Wilson,
"hung it upon one of the large pine trees in the Botanic Garden,
within a few feet of the nest of an Orchard Oriole, which also
contained young, hoping that the charity and kindness of the Orioles
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 was altogether neglected, and as it refused to be fed
by me, I was about to return it to the place where I had found it,
when, toward the afternoon, a Scarlet Tanager, no doubt its own
parent, was seen fluttering around the cage, endeavoring to get in.
Finding he could not, he flew off, and soon returned with food in his
bill, and continued to feed it until after sunset, taking up his
lodgings on the higher branches of the same tree. In the morning, as
soon as day broke, he was again seen most actively engaged in the
same manner, and, notwithstanding the insolence of the Orioles, he
continued his benevolent offices the whole day, roosting at night as
before. On the third or fourth day he seemed extremely solicitous for
the liberation of his charge, using every expression of distressful
anxiety, and every call and invitation that nature had put in his
power, for him to come out. This was too much for the feelings of my
friend. He procured a ladder, and mounting to the spot where the bird
was suspended, opened the cage, took out his prisoner, and restored
him to liberty and to his parent, who, with notes of great exultation,
accompanied his flight to the woods."
[Illustration: From col. F. M. Woodruff. SCARLET TANAGER.]