250 BULLETIN 19 7, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Harry S. Swarth (1904) says of its status in another range of 

 Arizona mountains : 



Possibly this species remains in the Huachucas [sic] Mountains throughout 

 the winter, but I am inclined to doubt it, and if it does it must be in very lim- 

 ited numbers. I secured a single bird as early as February 20th, but no more 

 were seen until March 2nd, when another was taken ; about the middle of March 

 they became more abundant, though not a common bird at any time, and soon 

 after the middle of the month were already in pairs. Upon their first arrival 

 they were found mostly in the live oaks near the base of the mountains, but the 

 breeding range seems to lie between 5000 and 7500 feet. During the breeding 

 season these vireos were very quiet and inconspicuous, and were most easily over- 

 looked; but after the middle of August they began to appear in considerable 

 numbers, and were more abundant at this time than at any other. 



In Brewster County, Tex., Van Tyne and Sutton (1937) "found 

 the Stephens' Vireo fairly common in the Chisos Mountains above 

 G400 feet." In the same mountains, Herbert Brandt (1940) heard 

 this vireo singing "in a canyon-floor oak grove, * * * nearly 

 erect on a dead limb." Based on a small series of specimens in fresh 

 plumage, he gave the birds of this region a new name, Vireo huttoni 

 carolinae, in honor of his wife ; Dr. Oberholser had told him that they 

 "proved much darker above and rather darker below" than typical 

 stephensi from farther west. 



Nesting. — Frank C. Willard (1908) saw a pair of Stephens's vireos 

 building a nest in "a scattering growth of oak brush" on a steep hill- 

 side in the Huachuca Mountains, Ariz. He says : 



The female was evidently using some cobweb. After it was placed to her 

 satisfaction the mole took a turn at re-arranging it. During all the time I 

 watched him he did this and several times he brought material which he in- 

 variably dropped, none of it ever finding its way into the nest. On June 5 the 

 female was sitting. She did not leave the nest until touched. * * * The 

 nest is a wonderful piece of bird architecture. It is composed of a frame work 

 of fine grass holding together a thick mat of oak down almost as compact as 

 felt. The prongs of the fork are entirely covered with the down held on by 

 cobwebs. There is a scanty lining of fine grass tops. As is the case with 

 the Plumbeous, the seeds are all removed from the grass tops used in the 

 lining. The nest has a yellowish appearance. * * * 



On June 10th an intruding Jay helped me locate a nest with three well- 

 feathered young. The nest Avas in Carr Canyon and was placed at the top of 

 a black oak sapling growing out of the side of the canyon. The nest was fifteen 

 feet from the ground and seventy-five from the bed of the canyon which is very 

 deep with precipitous walls. The male came with a caterpillar but seeing me 

 would not go to the nest. The female, however, fed the young and brooded 

 them without paying much attention to me. * • * 



On May 22 another bird was .seen building, the nest being almost completed, 

 apparently. June 3rd no bird was around and June 12th, when I again visited 

 it, the nest had entirely disappeared. Not a vestige was left. I climbed up to 

 examine the fork where it had been and it was cleaned off completely. 



Mr. Willard and I had a similar experience in 1922. On May 1 

 we saw a pair of Stephens's vireos building a nest about G feet up in 



