230 THE CONDOR Vol X 



Dr. Dearborn and I carefully skinned, but the skin spoiled owing to our labors at 

 lyake Valencia being ended by an unexpected event. 



When we reached land after the hunt was over, we learned that La Guayra 

 had been rigidl}^ quarantined because of the appearance of bubonic plague in that 

 port. The closing of Puerto Cabello, our only other means of egress from Vene- 

 zuela, might follow at any moment, and we were advised to leave the country 

 while we still had a chance. Accordingly we left by the first train the next day 

 and were in Puerto Cabello that night. The journey was thru picturesque moun- 

 tainous country, much of it being barren and sun-baked. The next day, by the 

 rarest chance, I got an excursion boat sailing to Curacao, an island of the Dutch 

 West Indies, while Dr. Dearborn pursued his labors a short time longer in Vene- 

 zuela and took the first available steamer to New York. 



Field Miiseuiii of Natural History^ Chicago^ Illinois. 



THREE VIREOS: NESTING NOTES FROM THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS 



By F. C. WII.LARD 



WITH THREE PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR 



ONE of the most interesting families of birds as home builders is that of the 

 Vireos. Three representatives of this family nest in the Huachuca 

 Mountains, the Plumbeous {Lanivireo s- ■pluniheiis), Stephens {Vii'eo h. 

 ste^heiisi) , and Western Warbling ( Vireosylva g. swainsoni^ , named in the order 

 of their abundance. It was my good fortune to make a rather intimate acquaint- 

 ance with all three of these species during the season of 1908. 



The Plumbeous largely outnumbers the other two. It is rarely found below an 

 altitude of 6000 feet on the east slope and 4000 feet on the west, nesting from its 

 lowest range to the summit where I have found nests at an altitude of over 9000 feet. 

 Every canyon has a numerous line of the Plumbeous Vireo along its bottom with 

 scattering pairs in all the small side canyons and on the ridges. The nests are 

 usually close to the ground, frequently within reaching distance. Oaks, ash, 

 maples and sycamores are selected as nesting sites. Each pair has its claim staked 

 out and ejects all intruders of the same species, altho the other two species are un- 

 molested by Plumbeus even when nesting in close proximity. 



In nest building they go as far as a quarter of a mile for material. They feed 

 closer to the nest, however, probably at not over half this distance. The female 

 does all the nest-building but is assisted somewhat by the male in the duties of in- 

 cubation. He also feeds his mate on the nest, but this is done rather infrequently. 

 My present observations give the time at intervals of from twenty minutes to 

 half an hour. When doing so he sings close by the nest after feeding her and this 

 has helped me locate several. The male also sings when the nest is approached, 

 and once this year I saw one sitting on the nest and singing. Toward evening the 

 male frequently flies down close to the nest and sits within a few inches of it for 

 long periods, being perfectly quiet and motionless all the time. 



The nest is a very pretty cup-shaped affair as is usual with this family. It is 

 composed of grass-tops woven into a frame work and filled in with oak down and 

 greenish colored oak blossoms and bits of spiders web. The lining is of fine grass 

 tops from which all the seeds have been removed. The general appearance of a 



