Philadelphia Vireo at Close Range 



( Vireo philadelphicus) 



By John Lewis Chi Ids 



JUNE ioth found me at Upper Dam, Rangeley Lakes, Maine, impatient to 

 observe a few rare birds known to breed in that locality. One of these 

 was the Philadelphia Vireo, and it was this bird that I first started to look 

 for. Not far from the camp where I was staying is a piece of woods com- 

 posed principally of young poplar and white birch, and to this I repaired. 

 I had not proceeded far before I heard a Red-eyed Vireo singing on my left 

 and another one on my right. On listening closely I observed there was a 

 slight difference in the song of these two birds, but I believed it was nothing 

 more than individual variation and had little doubt but that both were the 

 Red-eyed species. Knowing, however, that the song of the Philadelphia 

 was similar to that of the Red-eyed I thought it worth while to look up the 

 bird that was singing on my right. A few steps brought me to it, as it was 

 not so far away as the notes led me to believe, and to my delight I saw a 

 live Philadelphia Vireo for the first time in my life in his natural surround- 

 ings. 



The bird was on the lower branches of the tree and eyed me with evi- 

 dent curiosity, exhibited no fear, and came to within eight or ten feet of 

 where I stood, and for about ten minutes I observed him at close range. 

 The color of his eyes was black, and in all respects he was perceptibly 

 smaller than the Red-eyed. The bird seemed as much interested in me as 

 I was in him, and we studied each other from all points of view, during 

 which time the singing did not cease but was subdued to very low, soft 

 throat notes which sounded far away. It was interesting to watch the 

 swelling of his throat as he produced these notes without opening the mouth. 

 His mate soon appeared and I began a diligent though unsuccessful search 

 for their nest. 



I visited the locality again in the afternoon and the next day and found 

 both birds about in the same place. In moving about they would seldom 

 go to the tops of the trees like the Red-eyed, but seemed to prefer the lower 

 branches, and were at all times, when I saw them, very tame. 



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