Across the Fields. 225 



of bark, and lined with finer material and rootlets. The eggs are white with 

 markings of varying shades of brown, mainly about the larger end. They 

 vary from four to five in number, and are about two thirds of an inch long, 

 by a little less than half an inch in their other diameter. 



This bird is found as far north as Newfoundland and Manitoba. It 

 breeds from Northern New Jersey and Illinois northward, and south on the 

 Alleghanies to South Carolina. It winters in Central America. 



Bell's Vireo is a bird of the interior of North America, where it is found 



from Texas to Minnesota extending eastward to Illinois, where it is common 



in localities. It winters as far south as Southern Mexico. 



v "* It is a small bird, being about four inches and three quar- 



Vireo bellii Aud. . ' . & 



ters long and similar in form to the White-eyed Vireo. 



The general color of the upper parts is olive green shading into grayish 

 olive on the back of the neck and becoming ashy gray on the crown. There 

 are two wing bars. The region in front and a ring about the eye are 

 grayish white. The under parts are white shaded on the breast, sides, 

 and flanks with greenish yellow. The sexes are alike and immature birds 

 are similar. 



The nest is pensile or semi-pensile, built of bark and plant fibres and 

 lined with fine grasses. It is placed generally in bushes but sometimes in the 

 lower branches of trees. Four to six white eggs are laid which are sparsely 

 speckled with dark brown and black. These are nearly seven tenths of an 

 inch long and about half an inch in their other diameter. 



The birds frequent rather open country, bushy fields, and thickets about 

 the edges of swamps and along the banks of streams. 



In the more Southern States where the Mockingbird is common, there 

 is a bird of about the same size, shape, and general coloration. This is the 

 Loggerhead Loggerhead Shrike or Butcherbird, a bird of very con- 

 Shrike, siderable vocal attainment, but with certain hawk like 

 LaniusiudovicianusLinn. attributes. On some high perch, where a considerable 

 territory can be carefully observed, he sits watching for his prey. This is 

 generally a large grasshopper, a lizard, or small snake, and now and again 

 when pressed by hunger some one of the smaller birds. Patience and 

 alertness are his characteristics. Once detected he rarely fails to capture his 



