452 LAND BIRDS 
leaves he peers with unabated interest, searching care- 
fully for the small worms of which he is so fond. His 
slender bill, with the hook at the end and bristles at the 
base, reminds one of the flycatchers, but surely this 
phlegmatic plodder could never belong to the restless, 
darting, nervous flycatcher family. 
Both the male and the female work busily at the 
building of the nest. Beginning at the top, they weave 
moss and fibre over and around the supporting twigs, 
leaving loose ends to be caught into the walls and 
bottom of the structure. The work is all done from the 
inside until the walls are firm, and then bits of the 
external decoration are carefully tucked on. 
The brooding is all done by the female, while the de- 
voted master of the household sings early and late from 
a perch in the same tree. This habit of singing so near 
the nest is characteristic of all the vireos, but is rare 
among other birds. He also feeds her very often during 
the day, and, as soon as the young appear, takes more 
than his share of the labor of caring for them. 
Only ten days are required to incubate the eggs of the 
vireos, and one of my own records says seven for Hutton 
Vireo. All vireo nestlings are born naked except for 
the hair-like down that waves thinly on head and back. 
In this bird family it is even less perceptible than in 
most young birds, almost requiring a microscope to dis- 
cover it. They are fed by regurgitation for five days 
and, after that, the food is usually reduced to pulp 
before being given to them. It consists almost entirely 
of small tree-worms, green and white, the latter some- 
