TANAGRA, Lin. &C. TANAGER. TANGARA of Tern. &c.
Bill short, strong, hard, triangular at the base, slightly depressed, more or less conical, much compressed at the point, which is bent, the upper mandible longer than the under, and notched, edges of the mandibles bent inwards, ridge elevated, under mandible straight, and somewhat in flated towards the middle ; nostrils basal, lateral, rounded, and partly concealed by projecting feathers in front ; tar sus of the same length with the middle toe; wings of moderate dimensions, with the second and third quills longest.
The tanagers have the habits of the sparrow tribes, and subsist on seeds, berries, and insects. Of upwards of fifty species which have been ascertained, most are con spicuous for the brilliancy of their plumage, and all are foreign. They frequent woods, and are generally shy ; and some of them remarkable for their euphonious strains.
T. violacea, Lin. &c. Golden Tanager, Golden Tit mouse of Edwards. Dark violet above, under parts and back of the head fine yellow, middle quills, and the la teral tail-feathers, with their inner webs, white. Com mon in Guiana, Surinam, and Brazil, where it frequents soil that has been brought into culture, near houses, sub sisting principally on the berries of shrubs, but also mak ing depredations on the rice-crops. Its hemispherical nest resembles that of the Pacarini, though of a less com pact structure, and composed of reddish herbs. It is often kept in cages by the natives, and cheerfully submits to confinement, especially if five or six of them arc shut up together.
T. musica, Pipra musica, Lin. Tuneful Tanager or Organist. Dusky above, fulvous beneath ; throat and cheeks black; top of the head, and nape of the neck, blue; forehead yellow. In the female the upper parts of the body are olive-green, the throat is cinereous, and the under parts are olivaceous. Native of St. Domingo. It is an active and amusing bird, four inches in length. Like the woodpeckers and creepers, it shifts itself round the branches of trees with such rapidity, that it is not easily shot. Vieillot confirmed to Sonnini the extraordinary fact, that its song is the complete octave, which it repeats, note after note, for a considerable time together. According to Dupratz, its strains are so varied, so melodious, and warbled in such a tender and impressive style, that those who have heard it are less captivated with the nightingale. As it sang perched on an oak, near the house in which he lived, that traveller had an exellent opporturnity of appre ciating its musical talents.
T. cristata, Lin. Crested Tanager. Dusky, with an orange crest, and fulvous throat and rump. The crest is raised only when the bird is agitated. About the size of the house sparrow. Abounds in Guiana, but is not found the woods, frequenting only the more open situations.
T. Mississippiensis, Lin. Mississippi 7'anager. En tirely red, with the wings and tail darkest. Native of the borders of the Mississippi. Dupratz informs us, that this elegant species will collect a large quantity of maize against winter, and that it is so extremely tenacious of its hoard, that it will seldom stir from the spot except to drink. This store, which has been known to equal a Parisian bushel, it carefully covers over with leaves. Its note is disagreeable, loud, and piercing.
PLocEvs. Cur. Tern. WEAVER.
Bill stout, hard, conical, sharp, inflected, and compress ed at the point, without a notch, edges of the mandibles bent inwards ; nostrils basal, near the surface of the bill, ovoid, and open ; tarsus of the same length as the middle toe, the three anterior toes united at the base ; the fourth quill the longest.
P. Philzppinus, Cuv. Vieil. Loxia Philippina, Lin. &c. Philippine Weaver or Philippine Grossbeak. Brown above, whitish-yellow beneath, crown of the head and breast yellow, throat brown. Length, five inches and a quarter. The female has the upper parts brown, edged with rufous. Native of the Philippine Islands, India, and Abyssinia. It is said to feed on fire-flies. It forms a very curious nest, in the shape of a long cylinder, swelling out at the middle, composed of the fine fibres of leaves and grass, and fastened by the end to the branch of a high tree, which is, generally, the Palmyra, or Indian fig-tree.. This nest has two or three compartments, the eggs being deposited in that which is in the globose portion in the middle, and the entrance being at the bottom of the long cylinder, and thus in a great measure concealed. The whole is generally suspended over water. The eggs, which resemble pearls, have the white part transparent, when boiled, and are reckoned particularly delicate by the lovers of nice eating. The Philippine weaver may be rendered so very tame, as to come and perch on its master's hand, or to fetch and carry, like a dog, at command. In India, where it is very common, it is called Baya.