( 430 ) 

 RED-EYED VIREO. 



ViREO OLIVACEUS, BoNAP. 

 PLATE CL. Vol. II. p. 287- 



It appears that an individual of this species was procured at Cum- 

 berland House, lat. 54° N., and a description of it is given in the Fauna 

 Boreali- Americana, but without a single word as to its times of appear- 

 ance and departure. My friend Dr Thomas M. Beewer has sent me 

 the following curious notice respecting this species. " There is con- 

 nected with the egg of this bird which I sent you, a fact of some in- 

 terest, both as displaying its kind nature, and as establishing a fact in 

 natural history. Mr Ord says, in his paper in Loudon's Magazine, 

 that ' it is probable, that if the Cowbird deposits her egg in a nest 

 wherein the owner has not yet begun to lay, the nest is either detected 

 forthwith, or the egg of the intruder is buried by the addition of fresh 

 materials, so that it becomes abortive !' Let us see if this be so. On 

 the 10th of June 1836, I found the nest of the Red-eyed Vireo nearly 

 finished. It was situated on the extremity of a branch of an oak, at 

 the height of about 30 feet. Being in that situation quite inaccessible, 

 I fastened a cord to the end of the limb, and by bringing it closer to the 

 body of the tree and securing it in that situation, I put it within reach. 

 Although by this means the nest was nearly inverted, the bird did not 

 forsake it, but built up the under side, and adapted it to its new situa- 

 tion. About a fortnight after, I found in the nest two eggs of the Cow 

 Troopial advanced in incubation, although there were none of the eggs 

 of the owner of the nest. On the 30th of the same month, the egg of 

 the Vireo was foimd to have been added. This had been sat upon a 

 few days ; and those of the Troopial were nearly ready to be hatched. 

 This fact is one of the most satisfactory kind, for not merely one, but 

 actually two eggs of the Cow Blackbird were deposited, and instead 

 of being forsaken were incubated for at least a week before the bird 

 was ready to lay any of her eggs ; and although repeatedly disturbed, 

 first by having her empty and unfinished nest nearly inverted, then by 

 having the eggs of the Cowbird removed and afterwards replaced in 

 order to put their identity beyond doubt, and again by having her own 

 eggs removed, she still clung to her adopted younglings with unexam- 

 pled fidelity." 



