554 WARBLING VIREO. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests. Placed in trees. Composed of strips of bark, moss, etc., lined with finer material. Eggs, 

 three or four in number, oval in form, white in color, spotted and dotted with purplish brown and black. 

 Dimensions from .4S by .70 to .50 by .75. 



HABITS. 



The Philadelphia Vireo in a rare autumnal visitor to Mussachusetts, occuring in 

 September, and I found them rather common fi-om September 7th to the 22d at Watson- 

 town, Pennsylvania, in 1875. In general habit while migrating this pretty little Vireo 

 resembles the Warbling, but occurs more frequently in the woods than that species. This* 

 is especially true concerning it in its northern home. Here it frequents the topmost 

 branches of the high pines and spruces, wliere its presence is revealed only by its song 

 Avhich ij^ somewhat similar to that of the Red-eyed Vire(j. 



VIREO GILVUS. 

 Warbling Vireo. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Sp. Ch. Form, slender. Size, small. Spurious quill, present. Color. Brownish green above, 

 becoming ashy on crown and darker on wings and tail. Superciliary line, and beneath, whitish, becoming 

 greenish on sides. Iris, brown. Bill, brown, lighter on lower mandible. Feet, brown. Young, duller, 

 throughout, but somewhat tinged with greenish above and more strongly with yellow below. Nestlings are 

 ashy white, above, and silky white, below. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



Known from the closely-allied Philadelphia.Vireo by the presence of the spurious quill whieh is about .50 

 Jong. Breeds throughout eastern North America, excepting perhaps the more south-eastern portions. 

 Wintering south of our limits. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Length, from 5.00 to (j.OO: stretch, 8.ij to a.25 ; wing. 2M to S.OO; tail, 1.85 to 2.2;5; bill, .45 tO' 

 .47 ; tarsus, .70 to .75. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests, purse-shaped, placed in trees. Composed of moss, strips of bark, etc., lined with finer material. 

 Eggs, three or four in number, oval in form, white in color, finely spotted and dotted with black. Dimensions, 

 .53 by .75 to .56 by .83. 



HABITS. 



The Warbling Vireos make tlieir appearance in Massachusetts the second week in 

 May. Unlike most of the Vjreos they do not frequent the woodlands, but resort to the 

 shade trees along roaelsides or in public parks, thus the highways are enlivened by their 

 continuous warbling song. This rings out clear and distinct, throughout the long summer 

 days^ from the tree-tops, where the plainly-colored author of all this melody is often quite- 

 invisible. 



The poplar trees are favorite resorts of this Vireo and I will venture to say that 

 there is scarcely a tree of this description in Massachusetts, that has acquired a sufficient 

 size, which does not form tlie summer home of a pair of these buds. The nest Ls- 



