532 CHARACTERS OP VIREO PUSILLUS 



Exposed portion of spurious quill half as long as the second quill ; fourth pri- 

 mary longest ; third and fifth subequal ; second about equal to eighth. Tril 

 very long, equalling the wings, with narrow acuminate feathers; tarsus 

 decidedly longer than the middle toe and claw. Length, about 5 inches 

 (rather less); extent, 7^; wing, 2|^; tail, about the same; bill,^; tarsus, f; 

 middle toe and claw, i. 



In its general pale dull coloration, with little trace of olive or yellowish 

 shadep, this species is curiously similar to V. vicinior, and it shares with 

 that species the equality in the length of the wings and tail. The distinc- 

 tions, however, are too evident to require detailed comparison. From the 

 much brighter-colored V. belli, of about the same size and its nearest United 

 States relative, it may be d stiuguished by the following comparative 

 diagnoses : — 



V. helli. — Spurious primary f the second one ; third longest ; second rather 

 longer than seventh. Wing decidedly longer than tail. Olive-green above, 

 and strongly yellowish below. 



V.pu8illu8. — Spurious primary ^ the second one ; fourth longest ; second 

 equal to eighth. Gray, with a slight olive tinge ; only a trace of yellowish 

 below. 



I WELL remember when a cop3' of "Audubon" first opened 

 up to me what seemed like a revelation — with what inten- 

 sity I set myself to master the wonderful history — and the 

 boyish despdr I felt when I came to the Vireos ! The very 

 name was a mystery without a meaning, with a foreign sound, 

 unlike Thrush, Warbler, or Sparrow, and there was such a lot 

 of these little myths, all alike greenish ! I should have scouted 

 the idea, had any one presented it, that there were any more 

 Vireos in the world than Audubon knew ; and that I should 

 ever discover a new one myself would have seemed like a 

 feverish dream. 



The type-specimen of Vireo pusillus was shot on Date Creek, 

 in Arizona, June 6, 1865, but under circumstances that left me 

 no opportunity of observing it at my leisure; and I never saw 

 it again during my residence in the Territory. We were travel- 

 ling hastily and uncomfortably on one of the raids upon Apaches 

 that we occasionally made from headquarters at Fort Whipple, 

 when the loud and melodious song of a Vireo attracted my 

 attention, and I lost no time in securing the interesting bird. 

 It was a female, who doubtless had her eggs or young near by, 

 though the occasion was not one of the most propitious for 

 birds'-nesting. The same species had been previously taken by 

 Dr. Cooper at San Diego, and still earlier by Mr. Xantus at 

 Cape St. Lucas, but it remained undescribed until the follow- 

 ing year, when I overhauled my Arizona collections at the 

 Smithsonian in Washington. 



