The Red-eyed Vireo 269 



tiously, advanced my hand till the grasshopper was within easy reach of the 

 bird. The male kept up a constant scolding in the top of the apple tree con- 

 taining the nest, while I stood trying to win his wife's confidence. It seemed 

 many weary minutes that she sat motionless or with a slight suspicion of fear 

 in her little red eye, cowering closer to the eggs. Then, just as my hand ached 

 intolerably and I was about to withdraw it, she made a slow movement of the 

 head towards me — and hastily snatched the grasshopper. I was delighted and 

 praised her audibly for her discrimination and confidence. She devoured sev- 

 eral more grasshoppers very readily, once the ice was broken. The male bird 

 all the time seemed anxious and kept up a continual scolding. I made visits 

 once or twice daily thereafter, and she was perfectly fearless about taking food, 

 eagerly accepting small flies and grasshoppers, invariably refusing worms, and 

 showing preference for grasshoppers. 



"She would allow me to stroke her, close my hand about her, almost lift 

 her from the eggs, reach under her, etc. Once or twice she left the nest and 

 flew at her mate when he was making demonstrations of fear and distress, 

 knocked him smartly off his perch, snapping her bill and scolding vigorously, 

 then took her place again on the eggs. It was exactly as if she told him that 

 she would not be interfered with and that he could attend to his own affairs." 



Mr. E. H. Forbush, who has studied carefully the feeding habits of many 

 birds, says of the Red-eyed Vireo: 



"It is one of the most effective enemies of the gipsy and brown- tailed moths. 

 Moths and butterflies of many kinds are eaten; also assassin bugs, tree-hoppers, 

 bugs that eat plants and fruit. Many beetles, among them boring beetles, 

 black beetles, and weevils, grasshoppers, katydids, locusts — all are eaten. This 

 bird at times becomes an expert fly-catcher, taking horse-flies, mosquitos, and 

 other gnats and gall flies. It appears to take a larger proportion of fruit than 

 other Vireos. Blackberries, raspberries, and mulberries are commonly eaten." 



He quotes other authorities as stating that the bird eats dogwood berries, 

 sassafras, magnolia, poke-berries, and wild grapes. 



The Red-eyed Vireo belongs to the order Passeres, perching birds, and to 

 the family Vireonidas, of which there are twenty-five species in North America. 



