G08. Piranga erythromelas. 7 1/2 inches.

Male, scarlet and black; female, greenish yellow and blackish.

These beautiful birds are found in open woods, but they often come out in fields, parks, orchards and sometimes in yards when feeding; one of the prettiest sights that I ever, saw was of about a dozen of these birds tripping along the furrows of a ploughed field, where they were feeding on insects. Besides berries and seeds, they live upon quantities of insects, frequently catching them on the wing in true Flycatcher style.

Song. - Resembling that of the Robin, but harsher, less varied and higher pitched. Call, a sharp chip or "chip-churr."

Nest. - Loosely made of twigs and rootlets, on lower branches of trees; eggs four, pale bluish green, spotted with brown (.95 x .65).

Range. - Breeds in the northern parts of the U. S. from the Atlantic to the Plains; winters in the Tropics, from whence it arrives about May 15.