Basket Makers, the Vireo and Oriole 177 



" See here! See me! " and a moment later, " See here! 

 See here ! See me I " he said from the hillside, and I went 

 up to look at him. He sang for me within a few feet. 

 He had just arrived from the South and he was hungry 

 — no time to bother with people. He jumped from limb 

 to limb looking, always looking for food. The singing 

 was spontaneous, thrown in for every worm he found. 

 There was no mate about; she had likely not arrived 

 yet. He intended to keep on singing till she did come. 

 I had been watching and waiting for the vireo because 

 I wanted to study his method of nest building and get his 

 picture, so I watched him closely during the weeks that 

 followed. 



It is very likely that both this vireo and his mate 

 had built nests before, for they built such a pretty one. 

 It was not a haphazard site they selected. They searched 

 for positions and studied different places. Then at last 

 they decided upon a hazel bush. Both began work, 

 and they worked independently, each hunting moss and 

 fibres and weaving them in to his own satisfaction. Al- 

 though they worked according to their own ideas each was 

 satisfied with what the other did. When It came to dec- 

 orating, I think it was the wife who shingled the outside 

 of the home. She, perhaps, had more taste than her 

 husband. 



The vireos built their nest in a good position for It 

 was entirely shielded by leaves. You couldn't see the nest 

 from the front; It was roofed over with a big hazel leaf, 

 and in hot or rainy weather the mother had this canopy 

 over her head. It was even more useful when the young 

 were hatched, for both mother and father were away at 



