The Birds' Calendar 



singer, and one of the most accoiTii)lished archi- 

 tects in nest-building of all the birds. 



The two other vireos, remaining in this lat- 

 itude all summer, and found quite generally in 

 woodland as well as in more open places, are 

 the ' ' red-eyed ' ' and the warbling vireos. Not- 

 withstanding its quiet coloring the red-eyed is 

 a rather noticeable bird for its trim figure, grace- 

 ful action, and dressy appearance. The easiest 

 way to identify it, until it sings, is by the dark 

 stripe through the eye, which is not found in 

 the other vireos, while at short range and in 

 good light the iris has a reddish tinge. It is 

 a voluble singer, and the song can perhaps be 

 best described by saying that it is half-way be- 

 tween the chirp of the English sparrow and the 

 warble of the robin — having the strident qual- 

 ity and higher pitch of the former, and the 

 modulation of the latter. Some are greatly 

 pleased with its music, but to me there is more 

 pleasure in watching its motions, as with dainty 

 form it busily and dexterously climbs al)out 

 among the branches, with much of the elegant 

 ease that distinguishes the chickadee. In list- 

 ening to it one is likely to think how near the 

 English sparrow came to being a singer and 

 just missed it. Far more delightful than the 



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