Part 39

PHILADELPHIA VIREO

Vireosylva philadelphicus. Case 7, Fig. 30

A small, olive-green Vireo, with pale yellow underparts and a whitish line over the eye. L.

Range. Nests from northern New England and northern Michigan into Canada; winters in the tropics.

Washington, very rare T.V., May; Sept. Ossining, rare T.V., Sept. 20-Oct. 20. Cambridge, rare T.V. Glen Ellyn, rather rare T.V., May 14, 15; Aug. 21-Sept. 30. SE. Minn., uncommon T.V., May 9.

Rarest of our Vireos; but few students know it as a migrant and fewer still as a nesting bird. Its song and nesting habits resemble those of the Red-eye.

YELLOW-THROATED VIREO

Lanivireo flavifrons. Case 6, Fig. 69

Breast bright yellow; a yellow ring around the eye, two white wing-bands, bill rather stout. L. 6.

Range. Nests from Florida and Texas to Canada; winters in the tropics.

Washington, common S.R., Apl. 19-Sept. 29. Ossining, tolerably common S.R., Apl. 30-Sept. 7. Cambridge, commons S.R., May 6-Sept. 10. N. Ohio, common S.R., Apl. 25-Sept. 25. Glen Ellyn, not common S.R., May 2-Sept. 26. SE Minn., common S.R., Apl. 27-Sept. 15.

A less common bird than the Red-eye, but like it generally distributed through woodland, garden and orchard. It's song resembles the Red-eye's in form but is richer in tone, more deliberately uttered, and not continuous. "See me--I'm here--where are you?" he seems to say, and after a pause repeats the query.

The nest has the deep cup-shape of our other Vireo's but is externally covered with lichens. The eggs, laid the latter part of May, are white with a few specks of black or brown.

BLUE-HEADED VIREO

Lanivireo solitarius solitarius. Case 6, Fig. 68

Eye-ring and lores white, head grayish blue, underparts white, the sides yellowish; two wing-bars. L. 5-1/2.

Range. Nests from the mountains of northern New Jersey and of Pennsylvania to Canada; winters from the Gulf States southward.

Washington, common T.V., Apl. 6-May 18; Sept. 6-Nov. 3. Ossining, tolerably common T.V., Apl. 23-May 14; Sept. 8-Oct. 20. Cambridge, common T.V., rare S.R., Apl. 20-May 8; Sept. 15-Oct. 5. N. Ohio, common T.V., Apl. 17-May 20; Sept. 1-30. Glen Ellyn, not common T.V., May 9-19; Aug. 11-Oct. 9. SE. Minn., common T.V., May 3-Sept. 28.

We know this Vireo chiefly as a migrant, one of the earliest of the group of small arboreal wood-haunting birds (Vireos and Warblers) to reach us in the spring. Its song, as well as its movements, are deliberate. Vireo-like it peers beneath the leaves or inspects the blossoms, removing a caterpillar here or an insect's egg there, the while singing leisurely a rich-toned rendering of the Red-eye's theme.

It nests late in May, hanging its cup-shaped basket to a crotch usually five to ten feet above the ground. The eggs are white with a few black or brown spots.

The Mountain Solitary Vireo (L. s. alticola) has a slightly larger bill and bluer back. It nests in the mountains from Maryland to Georgia and winters southward to Florida.

WHITE-EYED VIREO

Vireo griseus griseus. Case 6, Fig. 67

White or yellowish white eyes; whitish underparts, washed with yellow on the sides. L. 5-1/4.

Range. Nests from Florida and Texas to Wisconsin and Massachusetts; winters from South Carolina to the tropics.

Washington, common S.R., Apl. 18-Oct. 19. Ossining, common S.R., Apl. 29-Oct. 3. Cambridge, rare S.R., May 8-Sept. 20; formerly common. Glen Ellyn, rare, spring only, May 24-June 5.

An inhabitant of bushy undergrowths whose snappy calls possess almost the character of human speech, so clearly and emphatically are the syllables enunciated. One's presence seems to excite both his curiosity and his disapproval, for he looks one over from this side and that all the while giving expression to remarks which sound far from complimentary. The nest is hung from a crotch, rarely more than 6 feet from the ground. The eggs laid in April, in the South, in May in the North, are white with a few blackish spots.

The Key West Vireo (V. g. maynardi) has a longer bill and is somewhat paler below than the White-eye. It is resident in southern Florida and the Keys.