376 NORTH AMERICAN- BIRDS. 



about twelve feet from the ground. The external depth of this nest was 

 only two and a half inches, tlie diameter three and a quarter, and its cavity 

 one and three quarters inches deep, and two inches wide at the rim. It was 

 constructed externally of strips of yellow and of gray birch-bark, intermin- 

 gled with bits of wool and dry grasses. The external jiortion was quite 

 loosely put togetlier, but was lined, in a more compact manner, with dry 

 leaves of tlie white pine, arranged in layers. Anotiier nest, found in Hing- 

 ham, was but two feet from the grounil, on a branch of a hickory sapling. 

 In its general structure it was tlie same, only differing in shape, being made 

 to conform to its position, and being twice as long as it was broad. It con- 

 tained four young, when found, about the 10th of June. One nest alone, 

 built on a bush in Lynn, exhibits even an average degree of compactness in 

 its external structure. '''Iiis is largely composed of cocoons, which are 

 woven together into a .somewhat homogeneous and cloth-like substance. 

 Within, decayed stems of grasses take the jdace of the usual pine-needles. 



In the summer of 1870 a ])air built their nest in a dwarf ])ear-tree, within 

 a few rods of my house. They were at first very shy and would not permit 

 themselves to be seen at tlieir work, and suspended all labor when any one 

 was occupied near their cliosen tree. Soon alter the construction of the nest 

 two Cowbird's eggs were deposited, which I removed, although the female 

 only laid two of her own before she began to sit upon them. By this time 

 she became more i'amiliar, and would not leave her nest unless T attempted 

 to lay hands upon her. She made no complaints in the manner of the 

 White-eyed, nor sought to attack like the Yellow-throated, but kept witliin 

 a few feet, and watclied me with eager eyes, until T left her. Unfortunately, 

 her nest was pillagetl by a I'lack-billed Cuckcjo, and I was unable to observe 

 her feed her young, as I had hoped to do. 



Tlie eggs are of an oblong-oval sliape, moderately pointed at one end, and 

 of a white ground, less crystalline than in the otiier species of its kind. They 

 are spotted pretty uniformly over tlie entire egg with dots of dark red and 

 reddish-brown. They are usually five in number. 



Lanivireo solitarius, var. cassini, Baird. 



CASSIirS VIKEO. 



Vireo cassini, Xantus, Pr. A. N. S. Phil. Mny, 1858, 117.-11x11(0, Birds N. Am. 1858, 

 340, pi. Ixxviii, fig. 1 ; Review Am. B. I, 1865, 347 (sub F. soliUiria), Ridoway. 



Sp. Char. Third and fourth quills nonrly pqnal, fifth shorter, second lonjrer tlmn 

 seventh. Spurious primary very narrow, falcate, acute ; less than one third the second quill, 

 and a little more than one fourth the third. Aliove, inchulinjr edges of winji; and tail- 

 feather.s, clear olive-gre(Mi, becoiniufj; dusky asliy on the top and sides of hea<l. Beneath 

 fulvous-white, tinged with ill-defmcd olive-greim on the sides (scarcely on the crissum). 

 Two broad hands on the wing-coverts and the outer edges of the innermost sec- 

 ondaries greenish-white ; the outer edge of outer tail-fei'ther, with a broad ring round 



