REDSTART ICTERIA VIREO. 333 



SETOPHAGA Kuticilla, (Wil.) American Redstart. The 

 redstart is an interesting and beautiful bird, appearing 

 about the first of May, and retiring in October. It is a 

 quick, active little creature, having some musical notes. 



ICTERIA Yiridis, (Bon.) Yellow-breasted icteria. This 

 bird is said by Nuttall to be a " summer resident of the 

 United States, and to pass the winter in Tropical America, 

 being found in Guiana and Brazil." It is rare on the 

 mountain. 



WARBLING FLY-CATCHERS. 



YIREOS. This genus is related to the orioles, in nidifi- 

 cation, eggs, color of young, and females, song, and notes 

 of the young. It is a peculiarly American group. They 

 live on insects one part of the season, and mix berries with 

 their food, as that kind of fruit ripens. They confine their 

 hunting of insects to the branches of trees and bushes, rarely 

 coming to the ground for that purpose. 



Of the vireos, an ancient friend has some interest- 

 ing and clever remarks. " On account of their modest at- 

 tire and sylvan habits, the birds of the group (vireos) 

 to which the present species (vireo atricapillus) belongs, 

 are seldom noticed by the general observer, though some of 

 them are to be met with commonly during the summer in 

 nearly all parts of the United States. But though incon- 

 spicuous in appearance, they make ample compensation by 

 the loudness of their notes, which, after the early love-songs 

 of the thrushes, and others of our songsters of spring, have 

 subsided into the more serious duties of parental responsi- 

 bility, are to be heard above those of any other of our 

 resident birds. They are active insect-catchers, and may be 

 seen at nearly all hours of the day patiently searching among 

 the leaves and branches of the trees in almost every wood- 

 land, hopping from branch to branch, or sometimes making 

 short sallies in pursuit of fugitive moths or butterflies, and 

 occasionally pausing to refresh themselves with a rather 



