48 



IOWA ORNITHOLOGIST. 



Mr. Giddings' notes from his 

 recent personal experience with 

 the species are in full as follows: 

 "A common summer resident in 

 this (Jackson) Co. Not much 

 knovvn except to the ornitholo- 

 gist and collector. The home of 

 this species is in the thickets of 

 brush and bramble, where it 

 builds its nest unknown to those 

 who pass close by. The nest is 

 suspended from the fork of some 

 small bush within a few feet of 

 the ground, composed of dead 

 leaves, grass and strips of grape- 

 vine bark. Generally somewhat 

 ragged on the outside. Four 

 eggs seem to be the usual num- 

 ber and I never found any other 

 in complete sets. Nests mostly 

 well concealed and hard to find. 

 I have found the best way is to 

 get down and creep on the ground, 

 and by looking up, the nest can 

 often be found quite easily. 



"This species is, to me, the 

 most interesting of the Vireos, 

 and I hardly ever tire of listen- 

 ing to its lively song, or watch it 

 flit from bush to bush. Near my 

 place is a thicket of hazel, 

 black-berry, sumach, and a few 

 small oak trees interspersed; just 

 the place for Bell's Vireo, and I 

 can hear it singing at most any 

 time during the summer from my 

 doorstep. 



June 9, 1895, I started out to 

 find some nests and soon suc- 

 ceeded in finding two. The first 

 was hung from a small hazel 

 bush, four feet above the ground 

 and contained two eggs. Nest 

 measured 3 in. deep; 3in. in 

 diameter outside; cavity ifxij. 

 June II, 4 eggs; they averaged 

 .68x. 50, pure white, quite well 

 spotted with red. The second 

 nest was in a place where the 

 bushes were quite low; was hung 

 from fork of hazel bush three 

 feet from ground. The nest was 

 composed of leaves, grass, bark 

 of grape-vine and plant down, 

 lined with fine grass and hair. 

 Measured four inches deep; 2| 

 in. in diameter on the outside; 

 1 1 in. deep by i| in. inside. Con- 

 tained four eggs above the aver- 

 age size and pure white with a 

 very few small red spots. Eggs 

 measured .74X. 52 average, with 

 scarcely any difference in them. 



"I have not found this bird 

 imposed upon by the Cowbird." 



Our readers will realize that to 

 cultivate the acquaintance of the 

 little Greenlets is to gain health, 

 pleasures and profit — health from 

 walks in the leafy woodlands and 

 exercise in the fragrant air; pleas- 

 ure from the music of their voices 

 and study of their ways; and 

 profit from health, pleasure and 

 the priceless teachings of Nature. 



