RED-EYED VIREO, OR FLYCATCHER. 317 



eyes, entered a chamber in the neighbourhood, and be- 

 came my inmate. I clipped his wing, and left him at 

 large in a room ; he soon became very gentle, took grass- 

 hoppers and flies out of my hand, eat Viburnum berries 

 with a good appetite, and, in short, seemed pleased with 

 his quarters. A fly could not stir but it was instantly 

 caught ; his only difficulty was with a lame King-bird 

 who occupied the same apartment. The king appear- 

 ed very jealous of this little harmless companion ; snap- 

 ped his bill at him when he approached, and begrudged 

 him his subsistence, when he perceived that he fed on 

 the same food with himself. At length, he would come 

 to me for provision, and for protection from his tyranni- 

 cal associate. But the career of my interesting and live- 

 ly companion was soon terminated by death, occasioned, in 

 all probability, by a diarrhoea, produced in consequence of 

 swallowing a small lock of hair with his food which was 

 found in his stomach. This bird, very different from o. Syl- 

 via autiaiiiialis , which I afterwards had in my possession, 

 regurgitated by the bill, like the King-bird, pellets of the 

 indigestible parts of his food, such as the legs and wings 

 of grasshoppers and flies, and the skins and seeds of 

 berries. Unlike the King-bird, in one particular, how- 

 ever, he folded his head under his wing when at rest, 

 and reposed with great soundness, whereas for eight 

 months I was never able to detect the former asleep. 



This species is about 6 inches long. The crown deep ash, bor- 

 dered on each side by a line of blackish, below which is a line of 

 white passing a little beyond the eye ; the bill rather long, dusky 

 above, and pale below. Inner webs of the wings and tail dusky, the 

 outer, like the rest of the upper parts, yellow olive, the folded wings 

 extend within about ^ an inch of the tip of the tail. Beneath white, 

 tinged on the breast and sides with pale yellow. Tail slightly fork- 

 ed. Legs and feet light bluish-grey. Iris of the adult red. In the 

 female the colors are a little more obscure. 



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