MINOR SONGSTERS. 169 
tricate, low-voiced warble. Later in the same 
day I found another in a chestnut grove. This 
last was in a state of quite unwonted fervor, 
and sang almost continuously ; now in the usual 
disconnected vireo manner, and now with a 
chatter and warble like what I had heard in the 
morning, but louder and longer. His best ef- 
forts ended abruptly with the ordinary vireo 
call, and the instantaneous change of voice gave 
to the whole a very strange effect. The chat- 
ter and warble appeared to be related to each 
other precisely as are those of the ruby-crowned 
kinglet ; while the warble had a certain tender, 
affectionate, some would say plaintive quality, 
which at once put me in mind of the goldfinch. 
I have seldom been more charmed with the 
song of any bird than I was on the 7th of last 
October with that of this same Vireo solitarius. 
The morning was bright and warm, but the 
birds had nearly all taken their departure, and 
the few that remained were silent. Suddenly 
the stillness was broken by a vireo note, and I 
said to myself with surprise, A red-eye? List- 
ening again, however, I detected the solitary’s 
inflection ; and after a few moments the bird, 
in the most obliging manner, came directly to- 
wards me, and began to warble in the fashion 
already described. He sang and sang, —as if 
his song could have no ending, —and mean- 
