362 NOTES ON THE 
own. Once identified, it is never again forgotten. As has 
already been intimated, they only leave us in late October and 
early November, individuals occasionally much later, when the 
severest frosts are materially delayed. The flight of this bird 
is quite characteristic. Sitting quietly upon a conspicuous 
post or stake of a fence, or in the top of a small tree, he drops 
down to within half a yard of the ground, and with a strong, 
even flight, follows the fence, where there is one, some little 
distance, as if destined to light on the grass, when he suddenly 
rises and perches upon another similar place, where he will 
remain almost motionless until another impulse sends him 
back to the first position in which we found him. 
The only note I have ever heard him utter was ‘‘peemp, 
peemp,” in a rather subdued manner. The food of this species 
is mostly grasshoppers and beetles, considerable of which is 
often impaled on thorns, or slivers in the fence. It will often 
seize mice, if small or quite young, and will take the young or 
the eggs of other species of birds, if not vigorously defended. 
They seem to remain in families in their autumnal movements, 
but return in spring in pairs, so far as I have observed them. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
Above, rather light, pure blueish ash. Forehead, sides of 
crown, scapulars and upper tail coverts, hoary whitish} be- 
neath, plain whitish; wings and tail black; the former with a 
white patch at base of primaries and tips of small quills, the 
latter with the lateral feathers tipped with white, extending 
broadly at the base. Bill throughout, pitch black; a contin- 
uous black stripe from the bill through and behind the eye. 
Length, 8.75; wing, 3.95; tail, 4.35. : 
Habitat, United States, except the South. 
Family VIREONID. 
VIREO OLIVACEUS (L.). (624.) 
RED-EYED VIREO. / 
No one interested in bird life, and fond of the quiet groves 
of lofty forest trees in spring and summer, can fail to appre- 
ciate this abundant summer resident of the woods of Minnesota. 
His song is almost unceasing from the dawn of day until the 
groves are drowsy with the last gloamings of twilight. 
For many years I have had a cottage on the shores of Lake 
Minnetonka, (now famous as a resort, fourteen miles distant 
from this city) beautifully enveloped in primeval woods of oak, 
