BIRDS OF KANSAS. 521 



Its nest is placed in thorn trees, hedges, briers, etc. ; a rough, 

 bulky structure, composed of small sticks and stems, with bits 

 of leaves, wool, feathers and other soft, fragmentary substances 

 sparingly woven in, and lined with fine stemlets of weeds and 

 grass, and sometimes with hairs. Eggs four to six, 1.02x.73; 

 dull grayish to yellowish white, spotted with varying shades of 

 brown and obscure lilac, more or less confluent at the larger 

 end; in some cases thickly spotted and blotched over the entire 

 surface, so as to nearly conceal the ground color; in form, oval. 

 A set of five eggs, taken June 5th, 1878, at Pewaukee, Wis- 

 consin, from a nest in a small thorn tree, are, in dimensions: 

 l.OOx.72, l.Olx.75, 1.02x.75, 1.03x.73, 1.05x.73. 



FAMILY VIREONID-ffi. YIREOS. 



"The essential features of this family seem to consist in the combination of 

 the dentirostral bill, notched iu both mandibles; the ten primaries (except Vireo- 

 *ylvia), of which the outer is usually from one-fourth to one-half the second, the 

 rather short, nearly even tail, with narrow feathers, and the great amount of ad- 

 hesion of the anterior toes the whole basal joint of the middle being generally 

 united on both sides to the adjacent joints, and decidedly shorter than the basal 

 of inner or two basal of outer. The outer lateral toe is generally appreciably 

 longer than the inner, reaching considerably beyond the base of the middle claw. 

 The tarsi are always distinctly scutellate anteriorly. The young are never 

 spotted or streaked as in the Thrushes; nor, indeed, do the adults exhibit such 

 markings. 



"The Vireonidos are peculiar to the new world, and are widely distributed, 

 although but one genus belongs to the United States." 



GENUS VIREO VIEILT.OT. 



Wing equal to or longer than tail, less rounded, the third or fourth quill 

 longest, and second much longer than secondaries; tail nearly even, or if rounded, 

 the difference between longest and shortest feathers much less than length of bill 

 from nostril; bill stouter, and relatively narrower and higher at base. (Ridgway.) 



SUBGENUS VIKEOSYLVA BONAPARTE. 



"Wings long and pointed, one-third or one- fourth longer than the nearly 

 even or slightly rounded tail. First quill very small (less than one-third the 

 second), sometimes apparently wanting. Second quill longer than the seventh, 

 much longer than the secondaries. Tarsi short (scarcely exceeding .70 of an 

 inch); toes rather long. Body slender and elongated. Bill slender, narrow, 

 straight; the culmen straight for its basal half, the commissure quite straight; 

 light horn color, paler beneath. Feet weak." 



