56 THE SECOND BOOK OF BIRDS 
Mr. Torrey found a vireo on her nest, and by 
gentle ways got her to let him stroke her. Next 
day he took some rose leaves with aphides on 
them, and holding one of the insects on his finger, 
he offered it to the bird on the nest. She took 
it, and then another and another, till finally she 
began to be very eager for them, and he could 
hardly feed her fast enough. Then he took a 
teaspoon full of water up to her, and she drank. 
Another gentleman — Mr. Hoffmann — did 
still more. He coaxed a YELLOW-THROATED 
Vireo till she took food out of his lips. Black 
ants and cankerworms were the things he fed 
her. She preferred the ants, and would scold 
him a little at first when he offered the worms, 
though she took them at last. This bird was so 
tame she would let a man lift her off her nest 
and put her on his shoulder while he looked at 
the eggs. She would stay there till he put her 
back. 
The yellow-throat, besides making a pretty 
hanging basket, covers the outside with lichens 
of different colors, green, dark and light, yellow, 
and almost black. It is said that these pretty 
things are put on by the male while his mate is 
sitting. 
A pair was once watched at their building. 
