THE RED-EYED VIREO 285 



hidden in the trees and brush. He not only prefers to 

 live in trees, but chooses the tall leafy ones where he 

 flits about among the topmost branches. 



He feeds largely on the caterpillars, flies, and other in- 

 sects in the tree tops, hence has small need of coming to 

 the ground. If you watch a vireo carefully, you will 

 see him moving back and forth on a limb, reaching for 

 insects first on one side and then on the other, stretching 

 his neck and legs until you would almost think they are 

 made of rubber. He hunts over the limbs from morning 

 till night, stopping every few moments to sing his thank- 

 fulness for his delightful home. He is such a lover of the 

 trees that he sometimes even drinks the dew and raindrops 

 that cling to the leaves and branches. 



I have found the red-eyed vireo's nest in a clump of small 

 bushes within two feet of the ground, tho more often they 

 build in trees some ten or fifteen feet high. The nest is 

 rather characteristic, being a half hanging nest. Where 

 it can be obtained, the mother bird peels off the tough in- 

 ner bark of the red elm or of the willow, sometimes using 

 the tough fibers of the previous year's "cotton weeds/' 

 and weaves the body of the nest from this tough fiber. As 

 soon as this is woven so that she is assured of plenty of 

 strength, she mixes in other materials, such as soft grass 

 and fuzz from various seeds. Bits of hornets' nests or 

 pieces of paper are often used not only to make the nest 

 soft and cozy but because the dull colors are effective in 

 helping to conceal it. 



The eggs are glossy white but are slightly speckled 

 at the large end with reddish brown or chocolate. Four is 

 the most common number, altho it is not unusual for the 

 bird to lay only three. When the young are able to leave 



