THE SWALLOW. 273

them take the alarm.” The Bird of Paradise is found in
New Guinea and the Papuan Islands.
The Following Mr. Wallace’s order we come now

Tanagers. to the second class of the perching birds, the
Tanagroid perchers, with the more important species of
which we will now proceed to deal.

The Tanagers are found in America and the West

Tanager. [Indian Islands. Wilson, the American ornitholo-
gist, describing the scarlet Tanager, says: “Among all other
birds that inhabit our woods, there is none that strikes the
eye of the stranger or even a native with so much brilliancy
as this. Seen among the green leaves, with the light falling
strongly on his plumage, he really appears beautiful. If he
has little melody in his notes to charm us, he has nothing
in them to disgust. His manners are modest, easy and in-
offensive ; 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 ap-
proaches he is no plundering dependant, but seeks in a distant
country for that sustenance which the severity of the season
denies to his industry in this. He is a striking ornament to
our rural scenery and none of the meanest of our rural song-
sters.” Its body is scarlet and its wings and tail are black.
One species of the Tanager is known as the Organist Tanager
from the richness of its tones.

The Swallow. Though only a summer friend the swallow is
among the most popular of birds in England. It arrives
in April and is always sure of a hearty welcome, and when
it leaves in September for its long journey across the sea no
one would withhold from it a “God speed”. The swallow
builds under the eaves of houses, always selecting dry and
sheltered spots. Its flight is very rapid, and is a pretty sight
to watch as it skims over the surface of the water, sometimes
striking it with its wings as it darts hither and thither, snapping
at the flies and insects which come within its reach. The

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