364 



NORTH AMKllICAN lUKDS. 





Vino olivaeetis. 



lI.vniTs. Tlio I'oininon IJed-eytMl ViriM» is an abiiinlant s])ecie'S throniilioiit 

 Eastern North America, tVitni Florida to Nova Scotia on tlic northeast, to 

 Lake Winnt'iieu' on the nortliwest, and as far west as the lloeky Mountains. 

 It a}»i)arently itreeds w herever found, and in especial ahundance in tlie Central 

 States. It is a familiar and fearless s|»eeies, often found, like the AVarhling 



Vireo, in the very midst of crowded cities, 

 and making its lively and pleasant notes 

 heard in their j)uhlic sipiares and private 

 gardens, amid the ruder sounds of the 

 neii'lihoriuL'^ -treets. It breeds in Texas 

 and Louisiana, at the Southwest, and als(3 

 in ahumlance, at least as far as llalifa.x, 

 in the oj>posite direction. At Fort Reso- 

 lution, at the Cumberland House, and at 

 Fort Simp.son, the nests and eggs of this 

 species were procured by Kcnnicott and 

 Koss. A single specimen of the biixl has 

 been procured in Greenland, and another 

 accidental specimen was shot in England. Specimens have also been pro- 

 cureil in Central America. 



This Vireo, like all of its peculiar and well-marked genus, prefers the 

 forests or the toi)s of large and shady trees, olitains its food usually among 

 their u])per branches, and very rarely ai)proaches the ground. It is not ex- 

 clusively sylvan, as at times it nuiy be found around dwellinus, hunting 

 for insects and spiders ; and although it hunts for f«iod among the tree-tops, 

 its nest is not always in such high situations, often not more than four or 

 live feet from the ground. 



In their migrations these birds enter the United States early in March, Imt 

 do not make their a))pearance in Pennsylvania until the last of April, or in 

 New England until the middle of May. 



The Vireos jtrocure tlieir iood, for the most j)art, by moving about and 

 along branches, and among the twigs of trees, hopping from one position to 

 another, and securing their prey without the click of a Flycatcher. The in- 

 sects they capture are usually not in motion, though occasionally they will 

 take them on the wing. They also feed on several kinds of rii)e berries in 

 the autunm. 



The song of this Vireo is loud, nnisical, simple, and pleasing. It is uttered 

 in short, emphatic bars, and at times has a very marked resemblance to the 

 melodious chant of the liobin, though without its volume and power. This 

 Vireo is one of the earliest of our spring musicians, as it is also one of the 

 most constant and untiring in its sonijf, continuinij to sinu lonii after most of 

 the other vocalists have l)econie silent, and even until it is about to leave 

 us, at the close of September. The tender and ])athetic utterances of this 

 Vireo, uttered with so much apparent animation, to judge from their sound. 



