232 BULLETIN 197, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



plumage of the adult, but young birds can be recognized by the gray 

 iris. The spring plumage is produced by wear, without molt, the 

 colors becoming brighter. Adults have a complete postnuptial molt 

 from late July to September. The sexes are alike in all plumages. 



Food. — The food habits of the white-e3^ed vireo are wholly benefi- 

 cial, with the exception of the negligible number, 1.36 percent, of the 

 useful ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) taken, and a few useful Hy- 

 menoptera. And it eats no valuable fruits or berries. Dr. Edward 

 A. Chapin (1925) says in his report on the contents of 221 stomachs 

 of this species : "Nearly nine-tenths of all the food eaten by the white- 

 eyed vireos is composed of insects, spiders, and other animal matter; 

 of this all but 3.96 percent is of insects. * * * Moths and butter- 

 flies and their larvae (caterpillars) make up slightly less than one- 

 third of the food of this species and form the most important item of 

 the diet. Of this portion, 20.66 percent is represented by caterpillars. 

 * * * The yearly average for the adult forms is 9.83 percent, 

 which with the caterpillars makes a total percentage of 30.49." 



Hemiptera (bugs) , including stink bugs and scale insects, are preyed 

 upon regularly at all seasons. Beetles of all kinds make up 12.78 

 percent of the total food ; these include the leaf-eating forms, weevils, 

 ladybirds, scarabs, and the wood-boring beetles, all but the ladybirds 

 being injurious. Hjnnenoptera and Diptera together amount to 11.64 

 percent, including wasps, bees, ichneumons, and flies. Grasshoppers 

 make up 13.25 percent of the annual food, other insects 3.74 percent, 

 spiders 3.59 percent, and other animal food, including snails and the 

 bones of a small chameleon, 0.37 percent. 



"In the spring and fall months foraging for suitable food compels 

 the birds to turn to the berries and small fruits, which are Usually to 

 be had in almost any locality. In January 22.93 percent of the entire 

 food is vegetable, in February only 5.62, still less from March to July, 

 in August 16.2, and in the next two months the percentage rises to 

 32.37. The vegetable food is composed of such berries as those of 

 sumac, dogwood, wild grape, and wax myrtle, and has no economic 

 importance." 



Behavior. — Mr. Saunders (1915) expresses it very well when he 

 says that the white-eyed vireo, when its nest is approached, "is one 

 of the most fearless birds that we have. Perhaps I might have written 

 one of the tamest birds, for that is the way many people would ex- 

 press it. But the bird does not show the confiding familiarity with 

 man that such birds as the Chickadee and Chipping Sparrow show 

 and thus could not properly be called tame. It keeps away from man, 

 seeking out the wildest tangle of green-brier thickets for its habitat 

 and nest. It is only when man seeks it out, and finds the secret of its 

 nest that it becomes at all 'tame,' and such tameness is better called 

 fearlessness." 



