HABITS OF THE RED-EYED GREENLET 497 



THE Red-eyed is a Vireo of exceeding abundance in the 

 United States east of the Mississippi, yet one which 

 extends to the Kocky Mountains, and even beyond them. The 

 dispersion of this bird remains rather more extensive than that 

 of any other of the genus, even after excepting its casual occur- 

 rences in Greenland and England. In the Antilles, which pos- 

 sess their own Greenlets, it is only known in Cuba, where it is 

 rare ; and it seems to be mostly replaced in Mexico by the 

 closely-allied V. flavoviridis. Some representatives of the spe- 

 cies linger in winter along our southernmost shores, but the 

 true home of these birds at such season is in Central America, 

 where we have advices from Guatemala, Panama, and else- 

 where. Their breeding range apparently coincides with the 

 whole of their North American range ; but I think that in sum- 

 mer there are more Greenlets of this kind to the square mile 

 in the Middle States than anywhere else. The Redeyes are 

 among the very commonest of all the birds that breed, for 

 instance, in the District of Columbia, where, during the heat 

 of summer, their energetic and voluble notes resound, no less 

 than the querulous plaints of the Wood Pewees, throughout 

 the woods. The persistency of these musicians is really remark- 

 able; they sing at all hours, even at the listless noon, which 

 invites most birds to rest in the shade, and prolong their ner- 

 vous notes to the very end of summer, long after the exal- 

 tation of other warblers has passed away. If we watch a 

 Red-eye, as we may easily do, in the nearest piece of wood, or in 

 the shade-tree close by the house, we shall see him performing 

 in a very nonchalant, almost mechanical way, as he goes about 

 his business of £ly-catching, sometimes stopping in the midst of 

 a bar to snap at an insect, and resuming the note as soon as 

 he has fairly cleared his throat. No one of the sylvan choir is 

 more simple and unaffected than this modest performer, who 

 seems to sing unconsciously or as if absorbed in reverie, while 

 his daily work goes on. 



As to the musical quality of this performance, there may be 

 two opinions. The Red-eye belongs, as we have seen, to the sec- 

 tion of the genus called Vireosylvia, and this includes V. calidris, 

 a bird known in Jamaica by the curious names of " Whip-tom- 

 kelly", or " John-to-whit", derived, like Whippoorwill, Chuck- 

 will's-widow, and many other designations of animals, from 

 the sound of its voice. The well-known and very true natural- 

 ist, Philip Henry Gosse, has described this curious ditty in his 

 32 B o 



