BELL'S VIREO 253 



in July, although not in any numbers. During his second visit to La Laguna, 

 the last week of November, two birds were shot and several others seen on the 

 very summit of this mountain, and a few days later (on December 2) a single 

 specimen was taken at Triunfo, indicating that at least a few individuals winter 

 in the Cape Region, to the northward of which, on the Peninsula, this Vireo has 

 not yet been noted. 



Nesting. — Not much is known about the nesting habits of Frazar's 

 vireo. J. Stuart Rowley seems to be tlie only one that has seen its 

 nest. He says in his notes: "On May 10, 1933, on the sierra above 

 Miraflores, while I was eating lunch in the shade of some trees, a dull 

 green bird flaslied before me and without a sound fleAV directly to a 

 nest not 20 feet from me and started brooding. All that was visible 

 from where I sat was the basket nest with a large black eye peering 

 over the edge at me and watching my every move. Upon approach- 

 ing, the female silently flushed from the three eggs, which were slightly 

 incubated. This was the only nest of this species I found; in fact, 

 it was the only instance of observing these birds which I had through- 

 out the whole Cape region." 



In response to my request for further information, Mr. Kowley 

 writes to me : "Not being a botanist, I am not certain as to the species 

 of trees in the area where this nest was located, but the prevailing cover 

 here was oak, a small, scrubby form, and it was in this type of tree 

 that the vireo nest was located. The surroundings were typical Sierra 

 de la Laguna canyon country, being dry, rather steeply sloping coun- 

 try, full of flora which has thorns and continually raises the very devil 

 with one's clothes. The nest itself was made of small fibres and soft 

 downy material, with a predominant covering of a local lichen, abun- 

 dant in the oaks, so that the nest was cleverly and well concealed 

 among the leaves." 



Charles E. Doe, who now has this set of eggs, probably with the 

 original data, tells me that the nest was pendent in the fork of a low, 

 thorny oak, about 4 feet from the ground ; it measured 3 inches across 

 the top and was 2 inches deep. He describes the eggs as "pure, dull 

 white, faintly dotted at the larger end with almost black, brown dots." 

 They measure 0.78 by 0.55, 0.76 by 0.54-, and 0.72 by 0.56 inch, or 

 19.7 by 14.0, 19.3 by 13.7, and 18.3 by 14.3 millimeters. 



VIREO BELLI BELLI Audubon 



BELL'S VIREO 



HABITS 



Audubon (1844) discovered this species on his Missouri River expe- 

 dition and named it in honor of his companion J. G. Bell, who pro- 

 cured the type specimen on the same day that Harris's sparrow was 

 discovered, May 4, 1843. He says of its haunts : "This species, like 



