BIRDS OF BERMUDA. 101 



Hob. — United States west to base of Eocky Mouutains; south to 

 Guatemala; Very rare in Cuba. Abundant and resident in the Ber- 

 mudas. (B. B. & R.) 



The smallest and one of the commonest resident Bermuda birds, 

 familiar to all through its sprightly ways, loud song, and astounding 

 impudence. It is termed locally, "chick-of-the-village," or, " chick- 

 choo-willie," from its note. This is, however, very variable, and hardly 

 any two birds give it the same rendering. One has a prefatory " chick," 

 in addition; another tacks the extra "chick" on at the end of his ver- 

 sion; while others cut it short, or jumble it all up together at random. 

 One particular variety Is " ginger-beer-quick," a call very much adapted 

 to the climate of Bermuda. In short, there is no end to the variations; 

 and a stranger might well imagine, as I did myself at first, that there 

 was more than one species present. It was some little time before I 

 settled the matter to my own satisfaction by careful observation of every 

 "chick" I heard singing, as I expected to meet with V. gilvus or V. 

 belli among the numerous musicians. The color of the iris increased 

 my difliculty, as I found it to be brownish, brownish-gray, or gray — 

 rarely white, as stated by authors. I presume it is only fully adult 

 birds that show the real white iris ; young birds have it decidedly 

 brownish, and I have seen a female sitting on eggs with an undeniable 

 brownish-gray "cast " in her bright little eye. It would be a waste of 

 time and valuable space to describe the pretty pensile nest of this 

 species, so familiar to all ornithologists. I have found it usually from 

 three to twelve feet above the ground, in cedars, mangroves, Bermuda 

 "holly," pomegranate, and lemon trees, but most commonly in cedars. 

 I never met with more than three eggs or young in one nest in the 

 islands; authors assign four or five to the genus. The eggs average .71 

 inch by .52 inch, white, with a few dark-brown or black dots ; some are 

 entirely white. The young at first have the yellow of the wing bars 

 and forehead very pale and dingy. This is a sad little torment to the 

 collector. It comes hissing and scolding within a foot of one's head, 

 puffing itself out with malignant fury. I have touched one with my 

 gun in the thick bushes before it would budge an inch. And when one 

 is on the qui vive for rarities among the big cedars, the little wretches 

 will come from all parts to irritate and deceive one, playing all sorts of 

 antics on the topmost branches, apparently imitating the movements of a 

 Dendrocca or other Sylvicolidfe, in order to induce one to w^aste a charge 

 on them. Several times they succeeded with me; and on one occasion, 



