GREEN, GREENISH GRAY, AND OLIVE 447 



The young are naked when hatched, but feather into 

 a soft mottled gray with glints of bhie and green on 

 the upper parts and the under parts nearly white. 

 They are fed on small insects by regurgitation. 



627 a. WESTERN WARBLING V IREO. — Fireo si/lva 



gilva sfrainwtii. 



Family : The Vireos. 



Length: 5.00-5.50. 



Adults: Upper parts olive gra)4sh ; top of head dull ash-gray; rump 



aud upper tail-coverts pale olive-green ; white streaks through eye ; 



wings and tail plain dusky brown ; sides of head pale brownish ; under 



parts dull white, tinged with olive yellow. 

 Young: Top of head and hind-neck very pale grayish buff"; lores and 



superciliary region white ; rest of upper parts bufFy, wings with buHy 



bars ; under parts pure white, except for yellowish under tail-coverts. 

 Geographical Distribution : Western North America from Great Slave 



Lake to Mexico. 

 California Breeding Range: Through upper Sonoran and Transition 



zones. 

 Breeding Season: May and .luin'. 

 Nest: A strong, durable basket, made of bark strips and fine grasses on 



the inside ; suspended by the brim from forks of horizontal branches. 

 Eggs: 4 or 5 ; white, spotted, with reddish brown and lilac around the 

 larger end. Size 0.70 X 0.55. 



The soft green plumage, unstreaked above and merg- 

 ing to greenish white below, is so characteristic of the 

 Virco family as to win for them the name of Oreenlets, 

 which to tlie non-scientific observer seems (juite as ap- 

 propriate as Vireo. They arc small birds, so nearly the 

 color of the leaves as to be observed with difViculty, ex- 

 cept for their friendly habit of stopping to chat with you 

 awhile at close range. l''afli different species has a dif- 

 ferent remark to make, but whatever is said you are sure 



