570 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 



The Philadelphia Vireo is not certainly known to nest within our limits, 

 but it is not improbable that it may do so in the northern part of the state. 

 In general appearance, voice and nesting habits it is so ver}'- similar to the 

 Red-eyed Vireo that it might be easily overlooked even by the expert. 

 Mr. William Brewster, who took a nest and three eggs near Umbagog 

 Lakes, Maine, June 14, 1903, describes the nest as placed in an aspen 

 {Populus tremuloides) thirty feet or more from the ground; perfectly 

 pensile and ornamented Uke the nests of the other vireos, especially those 

 of the White-eye and Solitary. The song of the bird he considers almost 

 identical with that of the Red-eye. 



Jonathan D wight, Jr., describes the song as heard at Tadousac, Quebec, 

 as follows: "To my ear the song partakes of the liquid sweetness and 

 leisurely irregularity of that of the Solitary Vireo, the notes being sweeter, 

 clearer, and a trifle higher pitched than those of the Red-eye. * * * 

 As the song of the Red-eyed Vireo is well known to many of us, some idea 

 of that of the Philadelphia Vireo may be gained when I say that while 

 the former rapidly ripples out his music, the latter reiterates slowly a 

 series of double or triple notes with marked pauses between. My ex- 

 perience has been that if one has heard philadelphicus he will seldom 

 mistake it for olivaceus, while the reverse will not hold " (Auk, XIV, 1897, 

 266-267). 



The eggs are almost precisely like those of the Red-eyed Vireo, but 

 average slightly smaller, the measurements given bv Brewster being .79 

 by .54, .81 by .53 and .80 by .54 inches. 



The food probably does not differ much from that of the other vireos. 

 We have found it eating plant-lice in the fall, and Aughey found it eating 

 locusts in large numbers in Nebraska, one stomach containing twenty-one 

 locusts and another nineteen. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Bill slightly hooked at tip; rictal bristles evident; no spurious first primary; no wing-bars. 



Adult (sexes alike): Top of head dull ashy-gray; rest of upper parts similar, but the 

 back decidedly tinged with olive-green like that of the red-eye; a whitish stripe from 

 nostril over the eye, but no dark line above this stripe; usually a dusky spot in front of 

 eye; sides of head and neck more or less biiify; under parts distinct pale yellowish, usually 

 witli a greenish tinge, and the color pretty uniform, perhaps faintest on the belly; wings 

 and tail plain dark grayish, the outer edges of all feathers and coverts washed with olive- 

 green, but no bars or spots; bill brownish gray, yellowisli lielow; iris brown. 



Length a))0ut 4.80 inches; wing 2.50 to 2.75; tail L90 to 2.20; culmen .38 to .40. 



257. Warbling Vireo. Vireosylva gilva gilva {VieilL). (627) 



Synonyms: Warbling CJreenlet. — Muscicapa gilva, Vieill., 1807. — Sylvia gilva, VieilL, 

 1817.— Vireo gilvus, Bona])., 1824, Nutt., Aud., Coues, A. O. U. Clicck-list, 1880, and most 

 recent authors. 



A])Out tlie same size as the preceding (much smaller than the Red-eye), 

 but with the under parts merely tinged with brownish yellow or creamy 

 buff, never pale sulphur yellow. The first primary is spurious, the wing- 

 bars very indistinct or entirely wanting, and the iris plain brown. 



Distribution. — North America in general from the Fur Countries to 

 Oaxaca, Mexico. Breeds throughout the greater part of its range. 



This is an abundant bird throughout most of the state, in some places 

 being more plentiful than the Red-eye, while the reverse is true in other 



