PHILADELPHIA VIREO. 553 



nearest rendering of the lay that I can give, with an occasional fourth syllable added, 

 sounding like "phue." These notes are repeated quite rapidly, with a decided accent on 

 the " kelly." The fourth syllable when given is rather less energetically rendered, being 

 a little plaintive. But the whole song is uttered with such carelessness, not only as to 

 intonation, but also in detail, that it is seldom that the rendering which I have given can 

 be distinctly heard. Either the syllables are run together, as is often the case, or the 

 first one or two are given so low, or omitted altogether, that it is not uncommon to hear 

 a bird uttering the " kelly " only, at rather wide intervals in a preoccupied and careless 

 tone as if too busy about other matters to stop and sing. When heard in the distance on a 

 still morning the notes remind one of the far away song of the Whippoorwill. When 

 heard close at hand the song somewhat recalls the lay of some of the Orioles and the 

 resemblance is partly carried out by the movements of the bird, but unlike the Orioles 

 these Vireos never sing as they fly. Although they sing all day long, unlike the Thick- 

 billed Vireo, they do not begin until sunrise and end at sunset. 



All through the latter part of May of this year (1884) there was evidently a 

 migration of these Vireos at New Providence, but in June they became much less 

 common, being scattered irregularly over the entire key, but were nowhere abundant. I 

 did not find them on either Green Key nor on tlie Ship Channel Keys the first week in 

 June. 



On March 20 til, 1888, I saw the first arrival of Black-whiskered Vireos on Cayman 

 Brae and they became common by April 8th. They were soon followed by the closely- 

 allied Vireo altiloquas, this species becoming common and easily distinguished by the 

 «ong, April 22d. On April 17, 189-3, I olitained a male at Fresh Creek, Andros, and got 

 a female three days later, and by the 22d of the month the species was connnon. 



VIREO PHILADELPHIA. 



Philadelphia Vireo. 



Plate XL Adult Male. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Ch. Size, small. Form, slender. Spurious quill, apparentl}' absent. Color. Adult. Above 

 brownish green, becoming ashy on crown and sides of head. Supercilaries' stripe, and beneath, whitish, 

 tinged with sulphury yellow on breast, sides and flanks. Young, similar, but duller above and rather more 

 yellow below. Iris, brown. Bill, brown, lighter on lower mandible. Feet, bluish. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



This species closely resembles the Warbling Vireo, but there is a little more yellow below than in that 

 :species, but the chief difference is found in the apparent absence (it being really misplaced) of the spurious, 

 or first, primary, this being present in the Warbling Vireo and about .50 long. Confined during the breed- 

 ing season to northern Eastern North America from northern New England to Hudson's Bay, passing 

 southward in winter beyond our limits. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Length, 4.80 to 5.10; stretch, 8.50 to 9.25; wing, 2.G5 to 2.10; tail, 2.20 to 2.25; bill, .45 to .50 

 (tarsus, .GG to .70. 



