The Oologist. 



TOL. XV. NO. 1. 



ALBION, N. y., JANUARY, 1898. 



Whole No. 140 



The Yellow-throated Vireo, With Re- 

 marks on Our Six Michigan Vireos. 



There are six species of Greenlets ia 

 the Great Lake region, viz:— Red-eyed, 

 Philadelphia, WarbliDa:,Yel!ow-throatd, 

 Blue-headed and White-eyed. 



A few remarks ia a general way may 

 not come amiss The Yellow-throated 

 appears first in the vernal migrations; 

 next the Red-eyed;then the Blue-headed, 

 and last of all the Philadelphia. The 

 Red-eyed is the most abundant and is 

 very generally distributed throughout 

 the State and I have found it in every 

 one of the eighteen counties where I 

 have observed. It breeds in low woods, 

 high oak groves, heavy timoered for- 

 ests, orchards and city yards, in pine- 

 ries where mixed with hardwood, and 

 in cedar and lamaraok swamps. If my 

 readers will carefully make observa- 

 tions as I have, they will find that the 

 Red-eyed Greenlet is the best and most 

 evenly distributed bird in the State of 

 Michigan. No matter where you go, 

 in the forest or in sections not too well 

 cleared, whether in the city or unset- 

 tled districts, if your ear is trained to 

 distinguish, you will soon hear the 

 simple notes of the retiring yet ubiqui- 

 tous Red-eyed. 



Next to the Red-eyed comes the Warb- 

 ling in point of abundance; this bird 

 being given to local distribution and is 

 always found in cultivated sections, 

 never in deep forests. The Yellow- 

 throated is next commonest; the next is 

 Blue-headed; the Philadelphia next, and 

 the White-eyed the rarest. Some bird 

 students in Michigan claim that the 

 White-eyed is not rare, but I have not 

 been convinced that it is to be found in 

 any numbers anywhere in this State. 

 It is certainly only locally distributed 

 in the Great Lake region, and in over a 



quarter of a century of close observa- 

 tion I have not seen it in Kalamazoo 

 county. 



The Blue-headed or Solitary Greenlet 

 is quite generally distributed during mi- 

 grations but is found usually in low 

 woods and timber lands. It is found 

 summering north of the 43d parallel but 

 I have been unable to find its nest. The 

 Philadelphia Vireo has been found in 

 various quarters in Michigan and I 

 have taken it in three counties, but it is 

 never common, and so far as is known 

 does not summer in our State; though 

 it will undoubtedly be proven a nester 

 in the Northern Peninsula by later ob- 

 servers. I am familiar with the songs 

 of our four common species, and I have 

 carefully noted the nesting habits of the 

 Red-eyed, Warbling, and Yellow- 

 thi'oated in Michigan. 



The Yellow-throated Vireo almost in- 

 variably arrives from the South during 

 the last week in April, but in late sea- 

 sons is not observed until after May 

 first while in advanced springs they 

 reach Southern Michigan by the tv/en- 

 tieth of April or even earlier. Their 

 presence is generally made known by 

 their loud, defiant screaming notes 

 which are somewhat like the rasping 

 notes of the Crested Flycatcher. The 

 song too, is loud and piercing, and is 

 not agreeable when issued near at 

 hand; but when heard coming from the 

 forest at a distance is very pleasing, 

 and will be remembered by a cultivated 

 ear. 



After the manner of all of our dear 

 Michigan birds, and I believe the rule 

 holds good throughout birddom in the 

 whole of Christendom, the Vireos are 

 mated already on arriving. It is 

 pleasing to think that birds are con- 

 stant in their attachments and that they 

 remain mated for years, and in all 



