VIREONID^ THE VIEEOS. 187 



Vireo solitarius (Wils.) 



BLUE-HEADED VEBEO. 



Popular synonyms. Solitary Greenlet, or Vireo ; Blue-headed Greenlet. 

 Muscicapa solitaria WILS. Am. Orn. ii, 1810, 43, pi. 17, flg. 6. 



Vireo solitarius VIEILL. 1817. AUD. Orn. Biog. i, 1831, 147, pi. 28; Synop. 1839, 160; B. Am. 

 iv, 1842, 144. pL 239. Nurr. Man. i, 1832, 305. BAIBD, B. N. Am. 1858, 340; Cat N. Am. 

 B. 1859, No. 250.-COUES. Key. 1872, 121; Check List. 1873, No. 127; 2d ed. 1882, No. 177; 

 B. N. W. 1874, 99; B. Col. Val. 1878, 507. 



Vireosylvia solitaria BAIHD, Review, 1866, 347 (s. g. Lanivireo). 

 Lanivireo solitarius ALLEN, 1869. B. B. & B. Hist. N. Am. B. i, 1874, 373, pL 17, flg. 8. 



RIDGW. Nom. N. Am. B. No. 14L 



HAB. Eastern North America, north to 'Fur Countries;" breeding from northern 

 border of United States northward, and wintering in Cuba, eastern Mexico, and Guate- 

 mala. 



"Sp. CHAB. (No. 300 male.) Above olive-green, including upper tail-coverts; the top 

 and sides of head and nape ashy plumbeous; sides of the neck plumbeous olive. Broad 

 line from nostrils to and around eye, involving the whole lower eyelid, white. A loral 

 line involving the edge of the eyelid, and a space beneath the eye, dusky plambeous. 

 Beneath white; the sides yellow, overlaid with olive, this color not extending anterior to 

 the breast. Axillars and base of crissum pale sulphur-yellow, the long feathers of the 

 latter much paler or nearly white. Wings with two bands and outer edges of innermost 

 secondaries olivaceous white; the auills dark brown, edged externally with olive-green, 

 internally with white; tail-feathers similarly marked, except that the lateral feather is 

 edged externally also with white, the central without internal border. Bill and legs 

 blackish plumbeous. Iris brown. 



"First quill spurious, rather more than one fifth the second, which is intermediate 

 between the fifth and sixth ; third longest. 



"Fresh specimen: Total length, 5.40; expanse of wing, 9.00 Prepared specimen: 

 Total length, 5.25; wing, 2.95; tail. 2.35. 



"Spring specimens show sometimes a gloss of plumbeous on the 

 back, obscuring the olive, the contrast of colors being greater in the 

 autumnal and young birds. Sometimes the crissum appears nearly 

 white. The length of the spurious primary varies considerably, 

 from .45 -to .75 of an inch. 



"In autumn the colors are similar, but slightly duller and less 

 sharply denned, while the back is considerably tinged with ashy." 

 (Hist. N. Am. B.) 



The solitary Vireo passes through Illinois only during its spring 

 and fall migrations ; at least there seems to be no record of its 

 breeding anywhere in the State, but it may do so in the extreme 

 northern portion. Its known range during the nesting season extends 

 from eastern Massachusetts and the region along the northern bor- 

 der of the Great Lakes northward nearly to the limit of tree growth. 



"Mr. Burroughs describes the love-notes of these birds as being 

 inexpressibly sweet and tender in both sexes. The song of the male, 



