192S 



VIRK()XII)/K — TIIK VIREOS. 389 



(i'^*^s of Vitro JntffonI, louiid May 8, one foot from the ground, under liii^li 

 trees, sus}»ended from three high stems of weeds, fastened to tliem, l)ut very 

 loosely put together. The eggs had been incubated. He furnished no fur- 

 ther description of nest or eggs. 



Vireo belli, *Aud. 



BELL'S VIBEO. 



Vireo belli, Ai'D. Birds Am. VII, ltS44, 333, pi. eccrlxxxv (Missouri Iiivcr^. —Cassis, 

 Pr. A. N. Sc. Phila. 1851, 150. — Haikd, lUnls N. Am. 1;>.">}S, 337; iJ.v. 35S. — 

 SrLATKH, C'atal. 1801, 42, iio. 258.— Hon. Cousp. 18.">t>, 330. — rooi'i:!:, Orn. Tal. 1, 

 1870, 123. 



Sp. CiiAH. (Xo. 1.1)20.) Above olive-jrreen, brijjflitcst on the* nnnp ; tinjjt'd anteriorly 

 with ashy ; the top and sides of head ashy, in faint eontrast. A line from nostiils to eye 

 (scareely beyon<l it), and eyelids very pale yellowish-white; lores dusky. Under parts, 

 ineludiiij^ inner wing-eoverts, and 

 edge of wing, creaniy-white ; the 

 sides, axillars, an<l crissuni pale yel- 

 low (sides of lower neek and of 

 breast glossed with olivaeeous, faint- 

 est on the longer feathers of the lat- 

 ter. Two rather narrow Ijands on the 

 winjif-eoverts, and the outer edu'es of 

 iinierniost secondaries white ; the 



other quills edged with faded tdivaceous. Inner edges of quills whitish. Tail-feathers 

 brown, edged externally with olive; internally fadinjir into paler bi-own. Median portion 

 of rump feathers concealed with pale yellowish. Bill horn-color above, pale below. Lv^xs 

 plumbeous. " Iris brown." 



First (juill spurious; not quite half the second, which is al>out equal to the eighth ; third 

 and fourth fpiills longest ; iifth scareely shorter. Tail nearly even, or a little rounded, the 

 feathers nairow. 



Total length, 4.20; wing, 2.18; tail, 1.90 ; tarsus, .75. 



Hab. United States, from Missouii River to l>as(; of Rocky Mountains; Tehuantepee, 

 Mexico (October, Sumicuuast) ; Missouri (IIovj ; Iowa (Allkx) ; Southeast Illinois 

 (Ridgway). 



The above description is taken from a type specimen received from Mr. 

 Audubon, and represents the average spring phimage. Autumnal skins are 

 ratlier brighter, and there is occasionally an oclHaceous tinge on the white 

 of the under parts. 



This si>ocies at first siglit appears like a miniature of V. ffUrva, the head 

 being almost exactly similar. The back is, however, much brighter olive, 

 the sides and crissum deeper yellow. The su]^rciliary light stripe is shorter. 

 The white markings of the wings are wanting in yilvus. The wing, tail, and 

 feet are entirely different in their projjortions. 



Habits. This species was first ])rociired by ^Fr. Audubon's yiarty in the 

 excursion to the Yellowstone liiver, in what is now known as Dakota Ter- 



^ A 



Vireo belli. 



