MNIUTII.rilJ.K :— NIkKONIDJ;. 15^ 



FAMILY VIREONID/E; VIREOS. 



Of our common Vircos, the Whitc-cyed {V. Novcboraccnsis Bp.j and 

 the Yellow-throated ( T. flavifrons Vieill.) do not appear to belon<( to 

 the mountainous parts of the Catskills. It is not probable that the former 

 ever extends, unless it be fortuitously, far into the mountains, but it is not 

 unlikeh' that the latter is an occasional visitant. 



Vireo olivaceus (L.) Vieill. Red-eyed Vireo. 

 A common and unremitting' song-ster. 



Vireo gilvus (Meill.) Bp. Warbling- Vireo. 



This species was noted only at Pine Hill where its song was fre- 

 quent from the elms lining the single village street, and at Big In- 

 dian ; both places being in the main valley. 



Yireo solitariiis \^ieill. Blue-headed Mreo. 



Rather common in rich woods along Birch Creek near Pine Hill ; 

 extending, to all appearances sparingly, through the Big Indian \' al- 

 ley, beyond which it was noted to an elevation of about 2,700 feet. 



Although this species on its migrations inhabits indiscriminately 

 the low shrubbery of swamps or the high trees of the woodland, 

 here, its preferences were decidedly for the latter situation, and high 

 in the most lofty maples several were often to be heard at the same 

 time in full song. It seems inconsistent with these arboreal habits 

 on its breeding grounds that the nest of this Vireo so often should be 

 built low down. One discovered on June 9, 1880, was not seven feet 

 above the ground. It was built in the fork of a descending branch 

 of a beech tree growing in a lightly wooded depression leading from 

 a " sugar camp," at the foot of a steep timbered slope. The four 

 eggs were perhaps a third incubated. This nest among those of our 

 Vireos most resembles that of V. flavifrons. 



Two nests taken by Mr. Pearsall in the Big Indian Valley were, 

 one ten the other six feet above the ground, and contained respect- 

 ively, on June 5 and 8. three and four fresh eggs. The parent of 

 the latter nest sat very closel)-. and Mr. Pearsall, fearing that by 

 suddenly starting the bird from its nest the eggs might be broken, 

 found it no easy matter to drive it from its charge. In reference to 

 this Mr. Pearsall writes : " I repeatedly pushed her with a stick, strik- 

 ing her sharply on the head, and finally had to bend a twig round 

 her neck and lift her off." 



As long since observed by Nuttall, the song of the Blue-headed 



Vireo partakes of the character of both that of its Red-eyed and 



Yellow- throated cousins. It has the prolonged interrupted warble of 



the former, though more irregular and with greater range and \'aria- 



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