RED-EYED VIREO. 127 
The mother did not seem to be there, so I sat 
down with my dogs near by to wait for her. I 
supposed she was off worm-hunting and would fly 
back in great excitement on discovering the in- 
truders. But all at once, almost over my head, I 
heard a low, crooning whee-ah! I turned in sur- 
prise, and there was my mother bird looking down 
at me with all the composure of an old friend. 
-Wha-wha-wha, she said, as she saw the dogs and 
took in the group again. As we kept still, and 
did not offer to molest her children, she soon be- 
gan looking about for worms, saying ter-ter-eater 
in the most complacent tone as she worked. She 
would turn her head and look down at us now and 
then with mild curiosity; but although I went 
back to the nest to test her she seemed to have 
perfect confidence in me, not showing the least 
alarm. 
Afterward I heard the vireo song from her, and 
concluded that she was the father of the family, 
left on guard while the mother was taking her 
rest. I thought perhaps that accounted for some 
of the indifference, but after that, when I went to 
see them, I found both old birds, and always met 
with the same trustfulness. Indeed, they would 
talk to me in the most friendly manner, answering 
my broken bird talk with gentle sympathetic seri- 
ousness that said very plainly they knew I meant 
well, and what a sweet winsome sound it had, 
uttered in their low caressing tones ! 
