198 



did exhibition of courage on the part of this plucky little bird, wlien 

 disabled by a wound. It flew at me, when I attempted to catch it, and 

 used botli beak and claws with all its might. 



Dimensions. — Average measurements of fourteen specimens : length, 

 0-61; stretch, 9 42; wing, 2-9G; tail, 2-15; culmen, -41; bill from nos- 

 tril. "28; gape, -04; tarsus, -73; middle toe, -44; its claw, -21. 



66. Vireo noveboracensis, (Gmelin). White-eyed Vikeo; 

 "Politician." An abundant summer resident; breeds. Arrives early 

 in May (14, 1875; 17, 1876; 21, 1877; 4, 1878; 12, 1879), and remains 

 till autumn. 



This handsome species is an inhabitant of swampy thickets. For a 

 very pleasant and amusing account of its habits, I would refer the 

 reader to John Burroughs' cliapter on "The Return of the Birds,"' '° 

 which he wrote when residing in the Highlands. The name of "Poli- 

 tician," given above, was first used by Wilson, who says : '^ Outwardly 

 its nest "is constructed of various light materials, bits of rotten 

 wood, fibres of dry stalks of weeds, pieces of paper, commonly news- 

 papers, an article almost always found about its nest, so that some of 

 my friends have given it the name of the Politician." I have observed 

 the habit of using newspapers for the construction of nests, in the 

 Red-eyed Vireo; but, in this region, the White-eyed Vireo usually 

 repairs to remote swamps to breed, where newspaper literature is 

 rarely encountered. It displays a high degree of architectural skill, 

 however, in all cases. I have found a nest, in which the eggs were 

 already being incubated, as early as May 28 (1877). The male sings a 

 sweet, and curious song, while his mate is sitting upon her eggs ; and 

 he displays great uneasiness whenever the nest is approached. The 

 female, like the rest of the Vireos, is a very close sitter, and I have 

 taken her ofi" the nest, before she could be induced to leave it. On 

 such occasions she is very pugnacious ; and, on being released, instead 

 of making good her escape, she comes back and scolds one most vig- 

 orously, in a tone resembling that of an irate Catbird. I have visited 

 its nest in the evening, and found the mother sleeping soundly, breath- 

 ing hard, and with her head tucked under the feathers. The nest is 

 fastened to a forked branch, within a few feet of the ground; com- 

 monly a laurel (Kalmia) is selected. 



Dimensions. — Average measurements of five specimens : length, 5-27 ; 

 stretch, 7-85; wing, 2-37; tail, l'9r); culmen, -42; bill from nostril, 

 •29; gape, 65; tarsus, 70; middle toe, -62; its claw, -18. 



Family, LANIIDJE. 



67. Lanius borealis, VieiUot. Great Northern Shrike; Butch- 

 er-bird. A winter visitant; occasionally somewhat numerous. It 



10 Wake-Robin, Chapter 1, 1871. 



n American Ornithology, Vol. II, p. 166, 1810. 



