Part 27

This strange and comparatively rare Vireo frequents brushwood on the prairies of Kansas, Indian Territory and central and western Texas. Their habits in all respects resemble those of the more common Vireos or Greenlets as they are otherwise called.

Notes.—Similar to those of the White-eyed Vireo.

Nest.—Suspended as usual from forked branches at low elevations; made of fibres and bark strips closely woven together with spider webs. The four eggs are pure white, unmarked (.70 × .52).

Range.—Breeds from central and western Texas north to southern Kansas; winters in Mexico.

WHITE-EYED VIREO 631. Vireo griseus. 5 inches

This species shows a partiality for low, swampy places, covered with briars or tangled thickets of blackberry vines. Their habits are entirely different from any of the preceding Vireos. They do not seem to sing as they eat, but feed in silence, then, the task ended, mount to the tops of the brush and indulge in an endless variety of calls and whistles.

Song.—A great variety of clear whistles and squeaky notes.

Nest.—A bulky structure of strips of bark, leaves, paper, etc., either placed in the branches or partially suspended in a fork; eggs white with minute brown specks (.75 × .55).

Range.—Eastern United States, breeding from the Gulf to Massachusetts and Manitoba; winters in Mexico.

Sub-Species.—631a. Key West Vireo (maynardi), southern Florida. 631b. Bermuda White-eyed Vireo (bermudianus), resident in the Bermudas. 631c. Small White-eyed Vireo (micrus); southeastern Texas.

BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER 636. Mniotilta varia. 5¼ inches

Male, heavily streaked with black below; female, with only a few streaks on the sides.

These Warblers are usually known as Black and White Creepers because of their habit of creeping along the limbs and branches of trees. They are abundant in northern United States, being found in open woods, swamps and often in parks, gleaning insects and grubs from crevices in the bark.

Song.—A weak, thin, wiry “tsee, tsee, tsee.”

Nest.—Of grasses and strips of bark on the ground at the foot of a stump or tree trunk or beside a rock; they lay four or five eggs, white with a wreath of reddish brown around the large end (.65 × .55).

Range.—Eastern N. A., breeding from Virginia and Louisiana north to Labrador and Hudson Bay; winters in northern South America.

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER 637. Protonotaria citrea. 5¼ inches

Whole head and underparts intense yellow, almost orange on the head of the male; tail with white spots near the tip; female, duller.

A common species in the interior, found in bushy swamps and the willows around the borders of pools and lakes; they are found in the latter localities with Tree Swallows and often Chickadees all nesting in holes in hollow stubs along the bank, they being one of the few members of this family to make use of such locations for their nests.

Song.—A loud, ringing “tweet, tweet, tweet.”

Nest.—In hollow stubs near or over water, the cavity of the stump being partially filled with moss, leaves and grasses hollowed on the top to receive the four to six creamy-white eggs which are heavily spotted over the entire surface with reddish brown (.72 × .55).

Range.—Eastern U. S., breeding from the Gulf north to Virginia, Illinois and Minnesota; winters in Central America.

SWAINSON WARBLER 638. Helinaia swainsonii. 5 inches

Upper parts brownish; underparts whitish; a white superciliary stripe and a brown stripe through the eye.

Some of the habits of this species are similar to those of the last but they are even more aquatic; they like swamps or stagnant pools thickly grown with rushes and tangled underbrush; unless cognizant of their habits, one would never look for a Warbler in the places frequented by these birds in company with Least Bitterns and Marsh Wrens. Until within a few years these were regarded as rare birds but are now found to be not uncommon in certain of the South Atlantic states, notably Georgia.

Song.—A series of descending, loud, clear whistles with a ventriloquial effect.

Nest.—Quite large structures consisting mostly of leaves with strips of bark, roots and pine needles. The four or five eggs are plain white, being the only eggs of American Warblers that are unmarked.

Range.—Southeastern U. S. from Georgia to Louisiana and north to North Carolina and Missouri.