2 



THE.O0liUGlST 



probability until death or capture sepa- 

 rates them. The vernal skirmishes 

 and battles are the natural outcome of 

 the lonesome, but it is fair, I think, to 

 admit that the same identical pair of 

 birds visits the same locality, and after 

 neighborhood differences are settled be- 

 gin nesting, often in the same tree as in 

 the last season. 



I have observed the nest in low bot- 

 tom lands and one was built within 

 twenty yards of the river. Others were 

 found in orchards and the low horizon- 

 tal branches -of apple trees are often 

 chosen. Two nests that came under 

 my observation were built in forks in 

 drooping lower branches of the common 

 Northern hickory, Garya toraentosa, and 

 were in open fields. One nest was at 

 the roadside and within the corporate 

 limits of a city. It had not been dis- 

 turbed and contained four young birds 

 about ready to tiy. They were readily 

 identified from their colors. This nest 

 was at seven feet elevation. The low- 

 est hung nest was placed at about four 

 feet up, and I do not think that the 

 average of all the nests 1 have found is 

 over ten feet. 



The nest much resembles the struc- 

 ture of the Red eyed in its main materi- 

 als, but is a little larger and coarser 

 and can be identified by a practical eye 

 at any time 'during its construction. 

 The situation chosen is similar to that 

 selected by the other Greenlets, and al- 

 ways in a fork, generally at the end of 

 a branch. 



When "the nest is completed it is 

 adorned with spider's web to which is 

 attached bits of lichens after the man- 

 ner of the Hummer and Gnatcatcher; 

 in truth these three species of birds are 

 the only ones in Michigan, to my 

 knowledge, who habitually ornament 

 their nests in this manner. The Yel- 

 low-throated is not as ai'tisticin its dec- 

 orations as are the Hummer and Gnat- 

 catcher. 



This Vireo, after the general habits of 



the Greenlets, often allows a lapse of a 

 week or two before depositing the eggs 

 after the nest is completed, This habit 

 often leads to the early deposition of 

 the Cowbird's eggs in the otherwise 

 empty nest of the Red-eyed, but the Yel- 

 low throated is not much bothered with 

 alien eggs, at least in my experience. 

 The old birds do not seem much dis- 

 turbed by the visit of the despoiler, and 

 do not make the protest observed when 

 a Warbling Vireo's eggs are appro- 

 priated. 



The eggs are almost invariably four 

 in number, never more, and are hand- 

 somest of the Greenlets in Michigan, 

 and are readily identified by their larg- 

 er size and the more prominent mark- 

 ings. It is unnecessary to describe 

 them here, for all the descriptions in 

 the world could not portray their 

 beauties, nor the record of a thousand 

 measurements assist in the identifica- 

 tion of an unknown miscellaneous col- 

 lection. The truth is. that too much 

 valuable space and time is taken in 

 describing the color, size and markings 

 of eggs and birds, to the exclusion of 

 more entertaining matter. 1 don't 

 gauge my estimate of a man by the 

 size of his collection of eggs, and I 

 think more of those who ai'e observant 

 of the habits of our feathered friends 

 than of the pseudo scientist who talks 

 big and reads technical descriptions 

 and yet can't go into a grove and tell 

 the songs of our common birds. If a 

 man or boy can add one good point of 

 information concerning the habits of 

 our Michigan birds, true lovers of the 

 study of birds will acknowledge his 

 worth as a scientist much more readily 

 than in the case of the individual who 

 amasses a whole raft of eggs by the 

 proverbial collecting and exchanging; 

 yet knowing only of the bare facts of 

 how high, date, incubation, etc., etc. 

 There are too many of this class of col- 

 lectors in our land. 



After nesting duties are completed 



