RED-EYED VIREO. 
The handsome Cedar Waxwing is therefore a bird of 
use as well as beauty; but alas for his song! It does not 
exist, or if it ever did it is now reduced to the level of 
a pianissimo imitation of the whistle belonging to the 
Italian’s peanut roaster which sings on the corner of our 
city streets. Mr. Torrey writes pleasingly about the al- 
most unbroken silence of this bird’s life, and adds: ‘‘ Of 
course I refer to thee Waxwing whose faint, sibilant 
whisper can scarcely be thought to contradict the fore- 
going description. By what strange freak he has lapsed 
into this ghostly habit, nobody knows. I make no ac- 
count of the insinuation that he gave up music because 
it hindered his success in cherry-stealing. He likes 
cherries it is true, . . . but he would need to work 
hard to steal more than does that indefatigable songster, 
the Robin.” 
I have managed, not without some difficulty, to locate 
the note of the average Waxwing at E flat, just three 
tones beyond the limit of the piano! 
= tones above highest C prnnw 
The beady . 
ee. 
There is also a burred note, which Thoreau calls his 
‘‘beady note,” included in the above notation. That is 
the best and only representation it is possible for me to 
give of the voice of this zesthetic squeaker. 
Family Vireonide. VIREOS. 
This group of birds is very nearly related to the War- 
blers; but in song and habits the Vireos show traits 
which are distinctly their own. There are about fifty 
species in America, to which country this family exclu- 
sively belongs, but only five species may be considered 
common in eastern North America. 
Red-eyed The few species of Vireos commonly 
he Cay found in the eastern part of our country 
Vireo olivaceus 2 ; F 
L.6.20inches re extremely interesting and useful birds, 
May 12th far more musical than the so-called War- 
blers to which they are closely related, and certainly 
149 
