44 



OROTTHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 13-Ko. 3 



Iowa Greenlets. 



BY C. K. KKYKS. DKS MOINES, IOWA. 



This gioup of charming little songsters is 

 represented in Iowa by seven species; two as 

 transient visitois, and five as summer residents. 

 The two former, tlie Philadelphia and Blue- 

 headed Vireos, occur alsundantly during l)oth 

 the vernal and autumnal migratory period. 

 Vireo phihuMphia arrives about the lOlh of 

 May and returns the last of August. It ap- 

 pears in scattered companies, moving in lei- 

 surely flights tlirough the trees bordering the 

 water-courses, and associating with various 

 species of Dendnvca. It apparently seeks the 

 tops of tlie trees, where liidden from view by 

 the young foliage, it nnght easily l)e passed un- 

 noticed ; and tliis fact may in part at least, ac- 

 count for the attributed variety of this species 

 as reported Ity observers in some localities in 

 the upper Mississippi valley. In Iowa, gener- 

 ally, from the 10th to the 2.5th of May, a brief 

 search of a few minutes seldom fails to disclose 

 a score or more of these modest little vireos, 

 busily engaged in the pursuit of insects in the 

 tree-tops — the tall willow thicliets of the 

 swamps aftbrding especially favorable situa- 

 tions for tills species. 



In company with this sjiecies appears its 

 blue-headed congener, V. solitarius, but the 

 hitter's sojourn is usually shorter, and appar- 

 ently is not so exclusively couflned to the 

 swamps as in the case of the former. The 

 Blue-headed Vireo is perhaps more abundant in 

 this region than any other species of the T'i- 

 reomdas ot'curring here. Evei'ywhei'e through 

 woodland during the middle of May and the 

 first of .September its presence is noted. 



Vireo noveboracensis is of rare occurrence in 

 Iowa, especially in the central portions of the 

 state, and little seems to be known relative to 

 it, though it has been reported as breeding in 

 some of the more southern of the central coun- 

 ties. 



Vin'o olieaccns arrives the first week in May 

 and remains until September, though locally 

 not as al)undant as two other congeneric spe- 

 cies breeding here, it occurs more commonly 

 than is at first apparent from casual oliserva- 

 tion. Nidification begins early in June. Its 

 beautiful pensile nest is attached to the fork of 

 some small branch of a forest tree, most com- 

 monly species of C'ori/a, and in one which the 

 Cow-bird especially selects as a repositorj- for 

 her parasitic eggs. 



Vireo gilvus is abundant both as a migrant 



and siunmer resident, arriving the first of May 

 and departing early in September. Among the 

 trees by the wayside, along the country roads 

 and the streets of the village, in the orchard 

 and the open woodland, through all the busy 

 summer day it joyously warbles its low carol, 

 gentle and melodious, while near by its familiar 

 pendulous nest swings from the slender branch- 

 let of perhaps a maple or some Cottonwood. 



Vireo flavifniiis, though abundant during the 

 migratoiy period, as a summer resident is ap- 

 parently not common, particularly in the cen- 

 tral portions of the state. It arrives the first of 

 May and returns the first of September. On 

 .Tune 2.5th, 18S1, a nest of this species was found 

 near Des Moines, and notwIMistanding a dili- 

 gent search every season since in Polk and the 

 adjoining counties, not a single additional in- 

 stance of its occurrence as a summer resident 

 was discovered. 



The sprightly little I'inu hdli is perhaps the 

 most common summer resident of the group. 

 No other woodbind bird seems to be so com- 

 pletely satisfied with so narrowly restricted a 

 vertical range as this retiring and unobtrusive 

 little greenlet. Though for the most part un- 

 seen, its voluble little melody, earnest and 

 plaintive, ever betrays its presence in every 

 hazel copse and garden. Its neat pensile nest 

 is suspended from the branchlet of some low 

 bush, and here its eggs, four or five in number, 

 are deposited the last week in May. One nest 

 containing four eggs was f(mnd in a small 

 bush situated within eight feet of a railroad 

 track over which trains were continually pass- 

 ing, and notwithstanding the violent swaying 

 ot the bush caused by the strong currents of 

 air created by each rapidly moving train, the 

 young birds were successf ull}- reared. 



Breeding Dates of Birds in Kings 

 County, Nova Scotia. 



BY WATSON I.. BISHOP. 



The following dates are taken from the col- 

 lection of Mr. John Wood and Mr. Walter 

 Kyan of Kentville, and also from my own col- 

 lection. Nearly all these eggs were found in 

 Kings County. N. S. : 



Great Black-backed Gull {Larus marinus). 

 May 22, four sets were taken, May 25, three 

 sets. These were collected on rocks and small 

 islands in the Gaspereaux Lake, where quite a 

 number of these birds breed every year. It is 



