EASTERN WARBLING VIREO 367 



Elliott Coues (1878) adds an interesting food item. He says in a 

 footnote: "Prof. Samuel Aughey gives the Warbling Vireo among 

 the birds of Nebraska which destroy the scourge of that country — 

 the grasshopper," quoting him as follows : " 'I frequently saw it light 

 down within a rod of me where locusts abounded and feed on them. 

 This species seemed to eat them in all stages of their growth, and 

 brought them constantly to their nests for their young.' " 



Tilford Moore writes to Mr. Bent that he has several times seen 

 one hang upside down from a twig to get food out of an apple blossom. 



Behavior. — William Brewster (1906), writing of the bird in east- 

 ern Massachusetts, says : "The warbling vireo is a bird of somewhat 

 peculiar and restricted distribution. It shuns extensive tracts of wood- 

 land and, indeed, most wild and primitive places, although it nests 

 sparingly in orchard or shade trees near secluded farmhouses, and 

 rather frequently along country roads bordered by rows of large elms 

 or maples. We find it most commonly and regularly, however, in or 

 near village centers such as those of Lexington, Arlington, Behnont and 

 Watertown." 



Mr. Brewster is referring here to the early years of this century. I 

 remember that in those days I used to hear warbling vireos about half 

 a mile apart along the main street through Lexington, but before many 

 years, about 1912, we noted a diminution in their numbers ; every year 

 fewer and fewer breeding pairs returned, until, early in the 20's, the 

 species became practically unknown in the town, and was rare through- 

 out eastern INIassachusetts. However, since about 1938, there has been 

 a decided increase in its numbers. 



The warbling vireo is so partial to the lines of trees along our village 

 streets and to isolated trees in open country that, thinking back to the 

 time when this land was covered chiefly by unbroken forest, we wonder 

 where the bird could have found in those days a habitat to its liking. 

 It is thought that the well-watered trees on the border of the broad 

 lanes opened by rivers through the forest were the former habitat of 

 the bird, for these would afford a situation not unlike the vireos' 

 present breeding ground. Aretas A. Saunders (1942) expresses this 

 conjecture : "I believe that the warbling vireo originally inhabited trees 

 along stream borders. With the coming of civilization, shade trees 

 along city streets formed a rather similar habitat, and it adopted such 

 places. This will explain its preference for elms and silver maples, 

 trees that originally were found along stream borders." 



Li former times, apparently, tlie warbling vireo was a resident in 

 large cities. Dr. Brewer (Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, 1874) says: 

 "It is especially abundant among the elms on Boston Common, where 

 at almost any hour of the day, from early in the month of May until 

 long after summer has gone, may be heard the prolonged notes of this, 

 one of the sweetest and most constant of our singers." Henry D. Minot 



