28 THE RETURN OF THE BIRDS. 



called by the ornithologists Spizella pusilla. 

 Its size and form is that of the socialis, but 

 is less distinctly marked, being of a duller, 

 redder tinge. He prefers remote bushy 

 heathery fields, where his song is one of the 

 sweetest to be heard. It is sometimes very 

 noticeable, especially early in spring. I re- 

 member sitting one bright day in the still 

 leafless April woods, when one of these birds 

 struck up a few rods from me, repeating its 

 lay at short intervals for nearly an hour. 

 It was a perfect piece of wood-music, and 

 was of course all the more noticeable for 

 being projected upon such a broad unoccu- 

 pied page of silence. Its song is like the 

 words, fe-o, fe-o, fe-o, few, few, few, fee 

 fee fee, uttered at first high and leisurely, 

 but running very rapidly toward the close, 

 which is low and soft. 



Still keeping among the unrecognized, the 

 white-eyed vireo, or fly-catcher, deserves par- 

 ticular mention. The song of this bird is 

 not particularly sweet and soft ; on the con- 

 trary, it is a little hard and shrill, like that 

 of the indigo-bird or oriole ; but for bright- 

 ness, volubility, execution, and power of 

 imitation, he is unsurpassed by any of our 

 northern birds. His ordinary note is for- 



