298 BULLETIN 197, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



vireo is its tameness or fearlessness, or perhaps its confidence in man 

 or its indifference to his presence. Its gentle demeanor when its nest 

 is approached is in marked contrast to the aggressive tactics employed 

 by some other vireos and by many other birds. There is seldom any 

 scolding or great excitement and no attempt at attack, but a brave 

 display of parental devotion. Many a bird-lover has enjoyed the 

 thrill of stroking the incubating bird on its nest, or perhaps lifting 

 it off without even being pecked in the attempt, and then seeing it 

 settle down in the nest again with apparent confidence. It is a gentle 

 little parent that soon wins our admiration and our affection. Per- 

 haps it will even sing almost in our faces as it returns. With patience 

 one may be persuaded to take food from our fingers when incubating 

 or brooding. But individuals are not all alike; some will quickly 

 leave the nest, if we come anywhere near it, and will not return to 

 it while we are in the vicinity. 



With all its tameness and tolerance of humans, the blue-headed 

 vireo is not a sociable bird ; it does not seek the company of man or 

 the security of our home grounds ; it is seldom seen in our yards and 

 gardens or in the shade trees of village streets and city parks, except 

 on migrations. It is rather a recluse of the woodlands, the solitudes 

 of the forests, often well hidden in the foliage of the tree tops ; we must 

 seek it there in its shady retreats, if we would make its acquaintance. 

 If we follow the lead of its rich song, we may see it sitting quietly 

 on some outstanding branch near an opening or among the lower 

 branches of a forest tree. It may remain in one spot for a long time 

 or move about very deliberately while feeding, for it is far less active 

 in its movements than the smaller vireos. Quiet dignity and an air 

 of calm repose seem to dominate its behavior in the security of its 

 woodland home. 



Voice. — Aretas A, Saunders contributes the following account of 

 the music of this vireo : "The song of the blue-headed vireo is long- 

 continued, made up of phrases separated by short pauses. It is the 

 highest in pitch of the common vireos of eastern United States, and 

 of exceedingly sweet, clear quality. The phrases are delivered more 

 rapidly than those of the yellow-throated vireo, but more slowly 

 than those of the redeye. On the whole it is the most pleasing of the 

 vireo songs. 



"From a study of the records from 37 individuals, the pitch varies 

 from Eb ' ' ' ' to B' ', two tones more than an octave. The rate of 

 singing is about one phrase to a second, or a second and a half. The 

 phrases themselves are delivered slowly, the slurred portions being 

 long-drawn-out and strongly accented. Each individual uses 9 to 15 

 different phrases. These are delivered in a varied order, which avoids 

 the monotonous repetition found in the yellow-throated vireo. Phrases 

 are composed of two to six notes. Two-, three-, and four-note phrases 



