68 THE BIRDS ABOUT Us. 



enable the observer to guess pretty shrewdly, par- 

 ticularly if the bird in question is in the tree-tops 

 singing loudly, even vociferously, and often launch- 

 ing out like a pewee to catch some passing insect. 



There are three that are found here in the Middle 

 States abundantly, the Red-eyed, the White-eyed, 

 and the Warbling Vireo. Warren, in " Birds of Penn- 

 sylvania," says that the Yellow-throated Vireo "breeds 

 sparingly or irregularly in nearly all sections of the 

 State, but is apparently much more frequently met 

 with in the mountainous and elevated woodland 

 regions, particularly in the northern counties, than 

 elsewhere as a summer resident." Like many an- 

 other insect-feeder, they can take to a vegetarian diet 

 when necessity calls, and this, I think, explains why 

 the date of departure in autumn is so irregular. 

 Certain it is that the low-lying land along the tide- 

 water reaches of the river does not yield to winter's 

 onslaught as does the hilly back country, and here 

 birds congregate and sometimes remain all winter. 

 The cat-bird and some warblers remain; the che- 

 wink and several water-birds find a sufficient food- 

 supply ; and what I have always insisted upon was a 

 closer inspection of some bird-full localities that 

 ornithologists have persistently ignored. Warren's 

 " Birds of Pennsylvania" gives a considerable num- 

 ber of birds as breeding within the limits of that 

 State not accredited to it in the general ornitholo- 

 gies of the continent. 



The Red-eyed Vireo comes to the Middle States 

 early in April, if the weather proves mild, and re- 

 mains until the middle of October. In the autumn 



