Birds of Allegany Park 263 



vated in the trunk or limb of a dead tree. Young birds, out of the 

 nest, were observed in the Park. 



Warbling Vireo. Vireosylva gilva gilva (Vieill.) 



This bird, smaller than the English Sparrow, is plain dull grayish 

 green above, without wing bars, and plain white tinged with yellow 

 beneath. The lack of wing bars distinguishes it from all V'ireos 

 but the Red-eye. The greenish top of the head and more yellowish 

 sides separate it from that bird, and also from the Tennessee 

 Warbler. 



It is not common in the Park, and it occurs mainly in trees 

 along the stream valleys, or high up in maple and elm shade trees. 

 Only two birds were observed in the Park itself, one on Quaker 

 Run and one in the Tunungwant Valley. Several were noted in 

 the shaded streets of Salamanca and in trees along the river near 

 that city. 



The song of the Warbling Vireo identifies it better than the 

 plumage. It is a sweet warble, of usually ten to twenty notes, vary- 

 ing in pitch, but seldom with two notes together on the same pitch. 

 The song is continuous and rapid, all the notes being linked together. 

 Every fourth or fifth note is slightly accented, and the song fre- 

 quently ends on a high-pitched, accented note. It resembles the 

 Purple Finch song somewhat, but a good ear will easily distin- 

 guish it. 



The nest is a pocket-shaped structure of bark, hung from a 

 forked limb of a tree. It is quite similar to the nests of other 

 species of vireos, but averages a little shallower. 



Least Flycatcher. Empidonax minimus (W. M. & S. F. Baird). 



This little bird is considerably smaller than the English Sparrow, 

 and the smallest of the flycatchers of the Park. It is marked much 

 like the Wood Pewee, but is somewhat greener on the back, smaller 

 in size, and with a shorter wing. In distinguishing these two birds 

 in the field the notes are more reliable than the plumage. 



The Least Flycatcher is rather rare in the Park. A few were 

 met with south of Salamanca, an occasional individual on Quaker 

 Run and in the Red House Valley, and one bird on Limestone 

 Brook. All were either in apple orchards or in shade trees along 

 the roadside, and this is the favorite habitat of the species. 



The song of this bird, if it may properly be considered a song, 

 is very simple, and not musical. It consists of a sound like "che&ff, 

 chebec. chebec," repeated over and over, now slowly, now rapidly ; 

 sometimes only four or five times, then again for a long time at a 

 stretch, without rest. Since the sound is heard mainly in spring and 

 early summer, it should probably be classed as a song. 



The nest is a small cup-shaped structure, resembling those of the 

 warblers, and placed in the fork of a tree, usually ten feet or more 

 from the ground. Unlike those of the warblers, however, its eggs 

 are pure white. 



