JOURNAI, OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 41 



Winning the Heart of a Red=eyed Vireo. 



By Prok. Wm. T. FoSTiCK, Bowdoiu College. 



For parts of three summers I have watched the birds at "Crow- 

 lands," in Chocorua, New Hampshire. This was the summer home 

 of Frank Bolles, the author of many nature books. In the old 

 orchard, on the shore of Lake Chocorua, and at the foot of the 

 mountain, he had used every means of attracting birds. There 

 were nests in almost everj^ tree. It was to him, and to those who 

 succeeded him in that secluded spot, a great joy to try to win the 

 hearts of the birds. 



One summer a Red-eyed Vireo built her nest in a great, old apple 

 tree near my window. I decided to win the confidence of this little 

 bird, the shyest of all in the orchard. I had made up my mind that 

 the ordinary method of approaching birds, under cover of a green 

 or brown gauze, would not do. The approach of such a clumsy 

 object, as a person is sure to be under such a cover, will frighten any 

 bird less timid and inquisitive than a Chickadee. Certainly, such 

 objects are not familiar in the woodlands. 



My first approach to the nest, where the mother bird sat, was 

 under cover of a birch tree about seven feet high, which I carried 

 in my hands. At the ends of the branches next to the nest were 

 tempting worms and ants. The familiar tree did not frighten the 

 bird, and she devoured the feast. Each day, before I approached, 

 I cut off about a foot of the tree and some of the foliage. At the 

 end of a week, the vireo and her mate were accepting good things 

 from the end of a twig about a foot long. At the end of ten days 

 she was eating from my hand, while the male bird was perched on 

 a branch six inches away. F'rom that time on, they apparently had 

 no fear, and it was fun to help the mother bird to teach the fledg- 

 lings to fly. Though I have never seen this method of winning the 

 hearts of birds described in any of the journals, it is the most suc- 

 cessful method I have tried. 



