NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 351 



larger ends with seal brown ; sizes, .80 x .59, .82 x .59, .83 x .60. The 

 nest from which these were taken was situated fifteen feet from the 

 ground, in an oak tree. 



630. Vireo atricapillus WOODH. [142.] 



Black-capped Vireo. 



Hab. Mexico, and Texas north to Southwestern Kansas. 



The first authentic account of the nests and eggs of this species was 

 that given by Mr. Brewster, from specimens collected in Comal county, 

 Texas, in May, 1878, by Mr. W. H. Werner. Other Texas records of 

 this species are those of Mr. Ragsdale (who considers it a rare summer 

 visitant in Cook county, on the northern boundary,) and Mr. William 

 Lloyd, who notes it as tolerably common in Concho county during 

 the fall migrations, and breeds in two localities in Tom Green county. 

 Here he found several nests, which were always situated in some 

 low tree at the edge of thick shrubbery, and at once distinguish- 

 able from the nests of Bell's Vireo (which breeds in the same vicinity), 

 in that the latter is lined with wool, while the Black-cap's is not. 

 Col. N. S. Goss gives the Black-capped Vireo as a summer resident 

 in the gypsum hills in Southwestern Kansas. He found it breeding 

 plentifully in Comanche county. According to the observations of 

 those who have found this species breeding, it generally frequents 

 brushwood and builds the nest low down, about five feet from the 

 ground, in elm, oak, and mesquite trees. It is suspended from a 

 forked twig, after the usual type of Vireo architecture, is hemispher- 

 ical in shape, and composed of broken fragments of bleached leaves, 

 strips of bark, grasses, catkins, spider's or caterpillar's silk. These 

 are all firmly interwoven and form thick walls, making a nest that 

 belongs to the higher order of bird architecture. 



The eggs are usually four, pure white, and measure .72 x .52. 

 Mr. Norris has three sets of eggs of this species in his cabinet. 

 One set, containing four eggs, was collected June 5, 1886, in Comal 

 county, Texas. The nest was in a mesquite tree, very low down. 

 The eggs are pure white, entirely unmarked. They measure : .69 x 

 .51, .69 x .51, .68 x .53, .71 x .52. Another set, also of four eggs, was 

 collected June 18, 1888, in the same locality, by G. B. Benners. The 

 nest was in a Spanish oak tree, three feet from the ground. The eggs 

 are also pure white, entirely unmarked: .69 x .54, .70 x .55, .69 x .53, 

 .70 x .54. The third set was taken June 5, 1888, by Mr. Benners, in 

 the same locality. The nest was in a Spanish oak, six feet from the 

 ground. The set consists of three eggs and two of the Dwarf Cow- 



