558 



WHITE- EYED VIHEO. 



around the eve, sidts, flunks;, muler tail coverts , and axillrtvies )j;fet'nish-yellow. Hi'inuiniiig' under portions 

 white, stron<;ly tinned on sides iind iiorusa hroust with oluar yellowish: sides ut'hoid :ilso yellowish. Irideb, 

 white. Winter ;\dults tire more strongly tinned with yellowish, huth above ;ind below. 



Youn;.^ .ind Nestlin,i>'S. similar to the udult but paler, and with a suft'a- 

 sion ut' shity above. The white markin.na on tlie wings .ire also more extended. 

 In these stagea the iride.'? aro yellowish. Sexes, similar. In all sta^'es the 

 bill is dark brown on the upper mandihle, bluisli on the lower, and the feet 

 aro bluish. 



OP.-EHVATIONS 



Readily known by the uniform ;j;rrouish-yellow .above, accomjianied by 

 the bars on the win.i,' and the wliite iiides. Speeimens from the main land 

 of Florida, \vhioh breed thero, are. as remarked under head of \'. ofivaceus, 



rather more dusky and have sli^ditly larger bills. Distributed during the Fig. 77. Head of White- 



breeding season from the Rocky M amtains to the Athu>tic. nirth to Maine. eyed Vireo. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements. Length, ."i Tk stretch, 8.2."): wing. 2.4--): tail. 2.0-'i: liill. .4."i; tarsus, .75. Long- 

 est specimen, 5.50; greatest extent of wing. 8.45: longest wing. 2. 55: tail. 2.10: bill. .50; tarsus, 80. Shortest 

 specimen, 5.00; smallest extent of wings, 7.50; shortest wing. 2 40; tail. 2-00: bill .40; tarsus, 70. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests, pensile, placed on bushes or low trees. The following description is taken from a nest 

 found in Florida, May S, 1872. Composed of fragments of palmetto fronds, leaves and Spanish moss, fast- 

 ened together with spiders' webs and lined with fine grasses. External diameter, ::i inches, internal, 1.75; 

 external depth. 2.50 inehes. hiternal. 1.75. 



Eia;?, four in nundier, (ival in foiaii. pun- w hite in cd'r. -|>"tti'(l Ncry .<iiar.s('!y witli minute d"t.-, nr're 

 numerous on the larger cud.-;. Himcnsious, from .75 \ .50. 



HABITS. ■ 



The Vireo^ of Ea.stefu Nortii Aiuerica iiiaj I)l' divided into two uToiip.s-, those liaving 

 bands on the winos and those without h:inds. Those without hands are tlie Blaek-whi.s- 

 kered, Ued-ej'ed, Philadelphia, and Warbling. Those with bands are the Yellow-tln-oated 

 Solitary, Mountain, White-ejed, and Key West. Rather singuhuly, the diflerence between 

 these two gi-onps as indicated hy the i)liimage is al.^o indicated by the habits and .songs 

 of the bii'ds which compose them. Those Avithout bands are, with a single exception, 

 (the Black-whiskered) birds of rather slow movement and their songs are uttered de- 

 liberately, without any great dis])lay of vigor. On the other h;ind the species with 

 banded wings are (prite restless, .seldom remaining long in one place, and tlieir songs are 

 given with considerable force. 



Among this latter named group the White-eyed Vireos are one of tlie most noticable, 

 not only being restless birds, but also singing with an energy which exceeds the songs of 

 nearly all of the species of Vireos wdiich occur witli us. Two or three detached notes 

 are usually given, but these are uttered with almost startling vehemence, while the birds 

 move restlessly about timong the low shrubbery. I have related elsewhere that the Ba- 

 hama Vireo utters similar detached notes in winter but that in spring all are given as 

 one continual song, rendered much more sweetly and less abru])tly than at other times. 

 Although I never heard the White-eyed Vireo sing in this way tliey are said to do so 



o 



