VIREOS. 155 



Bill rather short and stout, distinctly notched and hooked, 

 also well furnished with bristles ; tarsus scutellate ; primaries 

 ten, but with the first in the Vireonidce often spurious, or 

 seemingly absent. (Fig. 6.) 



The Laniidce differ distinctly in being more than seven 

 inches long, in having the " sides of the tarsi scutellate be- 

 hind," and in having long, rounded tails. The bill, moreover, 

 is large and stout (not so broad as high, and scarcely twice as 

 long), while the feet are comparatively weak. The Shrikes 

 might well be called " raptorial Passeres" being notorious for 

 their boldness and mode of slaughter among other birds, etc. 

 They are unsocial and unmusical, though perhaps mimics. 

 Like the Vireos, normally they are never seen on the ground ; 

 but they possess a much stronger flight than their small rel- 

 atives. They build rather bulky nests in the woods, and lay 

 eggs, rather coarsely marked, and never (?) with a pure white 

 ground. The Butcher-bird is a type (fig. 7). 



The Vireos, on the other hand, are small, insectivorous birds, 

 allied in habits to many of the Warblers. They frequent, for 

 the most part, woodland, and are rarely if ever seen upon the 

 ground. They usually flutter among the branches in search 

 of their prey, though they occasionally snap it up in passing 

 from tree to tree. They are not gregarious, though extremely 

 affectionate toward one another, and peaceable in their rela- 

 tions to other birds. They are very musical, and warble 

 cheerfully, energetically, and often very sweetly. They build 

 small, cup-shaped, pensile nests, which are rarely softly lined. 

 The eggs are four or five, and pure white, with a few small 

 spots near the larger end, of some shade of brown. 



Our species have been divided into several subgenera, but I 

 have here followed Dr. Coues in uniting them under one genus. 



I. VIRBO. 



A. SOLITARIUS. Solitary Vireo. Blue-headed Vireo. 

 Rather rare, in Massachusetts, especially as a summer resi- 

 dent.* 



* In southern New England the Sol- migrations, but it also nests occasionally 

 itary Vireo is oftenest seen during the in Connecticut, regularly but more or 



