240 BULLETIN 197, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



weet, its song being surprisingly varied. It is one of the familiar birds of the 

 islands, very tame and found everywhere, and very different in all its ways 

 from its shy, retiring continental relative. 



It is apparently resident in Berinnda througliout the year, as their 

 specimens were collected in winter. 



A single egg in the United States National Museum measures 18.3 

 by 12.7 millimeters. 



Capt. Savile G. Reid (1884) has considerable to say about the 

 white-eyed vireo of the Bermudas, from which I quote : 



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 version ; 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 varia- 

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

 more than one species present. * * * 



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 3 to 12 feet above the ground, in cedars, mangroves, Bermuda '"holly," pome- 

 granate, 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. * * * 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 Dendroeca or otlier Sylvi- 

 colidae, in order to induce one to waste a charge on them. Several times they 

 succeeded with me; and on one occasion, the bird having lodged at the top of 

 a very ugly-looking tree, I tore my hands and clothes to pieces in my anxiety 

 to secure the supposed prize. But in spite of this I have a great regard for 

 the cheerful, restless little fellows, whose presence does so much to relieve 

 the monotony of the everlasting cedars. They are very dexterous in catching 

 insects among the foliage, their manner of feeding seeming to be intermediate 

 between that of a Flycatcher and a Warbler. You can hear the "snip" of their 

 mandibles as they secure their prey for a considerable distance. I have seen one 

 catching flies off the back of a cow, jumping vigorously at them from the ground, 

 and "snipping" them off neatly as they buzzed round the recumbent animal. 



VIREO GRISEUS MICRUS Nelson 



RIO GRANDE VIREO 



HABITS 



The small white-eyed vireo, as we used to call it, is found in north- 

 eastern Mexico, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, and San Luis Potosi. Its 



