THE CAMERA. 



283 



THE FEMALE VIREO PLACING FOOD IN THROAT OF A NESTLING. 



five to seven days to complete the nest ; 

 built of coarse needles on the exterior, 

 and lined with finer hark or pine needles 

 on the interior. The outside of the 

 nest is also ornamented with small 

 pieces of lichen which are fastened 

 on with cobwebs. The nest is 

 always placed in a crotch where the 

 limb splits and is very tightly woven into 

 the Y of the limb. The nests vary in 

 height from thirty-six inches to forty 

 feet above the ground and are always 

 pensile. It is most always at the very 

 tip of the branch woven into the endmost 

 crotch. The tree chosen for the nest is 

 of any kind, but there seems to be a 

 slight preference for maple. The full 

 number of eggs usually laid is four, they 

 are pure white with a few specks of 

 blackish brown mostly around the largest 

 end. 



An egg of the Cowbird (Molothrus 

 ater) may often be found in the nest. 

 I once found a nest containing three 

 eggs of the cowbird and none of the 

 vireo. In such a case it should be made 

 a point to destroy one or more of the 

 eggs, for if all three cowbird's eggs 



should hatch the vireos would have such 

 a hard time finding enough food for 

 them, that the}' would not have time to 

 obtain enough nourishment for them- 

 selves and so would likely die of hunger, 

 so devoted are they to their young. 



It was just after returning from a 

 visit to Long Island in the latter part 

 of June, 1908, that my brother informed 

 me of a Red-eyed Vireo's nest that he 

 had found just previous to my return. 

 The trusting birds had chosen a white 

 ash tree on our lawn and had built their 

 nest but three feet from the ground. 



Here was a chance for a study of bird 

 parentry not to be found every day, and 

 the following afternoon (June 21) found 

 me at work. About two o'clock that 

 afternoon after having watched the 

 brooding female for a half an hour, she 

 suddenly became uneasy and kept mov- 

 ing about in the nest, then settled down 

 again, in another minute she hopped out 

 of the nest paused on the brim for a 

 second, then flew in a straight line 

 through the shrubbery and out of sight. 



At this point I ventured over to the 

 swinging cradle and on looking in found 



