MINOR SONGSTERS. 169 



tricate, low-voiced warble. Later in the same 

 day I found another in a chestnut grove. This 

 last was in a state of quite unwonted fervor, 

 and sang almost continuously ; now in the usual 

 disconnected vireo manner, and now with a 

 chatter and warble like what I had heard in the 

 morning, but louder and longer. His best ef- 

 forts ended abruptly with the ordinary vireo 

 call, and the instantaneous change of voice gave 

 to the whole a very strange effect. The chat- 

 ter and warble appeared to be related to each 

 other precisely as are those of the ruby-crowned 

 kinglet ; while the warble had a certain tender, 

 affectionate, some would say plaintive quality, 

 which at once put me in mind of the goldfinch. 

 I have seldom been more charmed with the 

 song of any bird than I was on the 7th of last 

 October with that of this same Vireo soUtarius. 

 The morning was bright and warm, but the 

 birds had nearly all taken their departure, and 

 the few that remained were silent. Suddenly 

 the stillness was broken by a vireo note, and I 

 said to myself with surprise, A red-eye ? List- 

 ening again, however, I detected the solitary's 

 inflection ; and after a few moments the bird, 

 in the most obliging manner, came directly to- 

 wards me, and began to warble in the fashion 

 already described. He sang and sang, — as if 

 his song could have no ending, — and mean- 



