PHILADELPHIA VLEEO. 299 



Abundant summer resident from the last week in April to October. 

 Breeds. The Red-eyed Vireo is the most abundant species of the family 

 with us. It frequents woodland, though often seen in op n places, and 

 even in cities, especially during the migr.itions. Its song is shorter, 

 louder, and more vigorous than that of the Warbling Vireo. Its call note 

 is short and harsh. Both are heard during the whole day. The Red- 

 eyed Vireo, like all others of the family, subsists chieiiy upon insects 

 which he captures on the wiag like the true fly-catchers, and hunts for 

 on the branches and leaves In the fall, however, it becomes quite fru- 

 givorous, feeding upon various berries. Its plumage is frequently soiled 

 with the red juice of the pokeberry. 



The nest of this bird, as of all others of the family, is pensile, its rim 

 being attached to the horizontal fork of a twig. It is usually placed from 

 five tu twenty five feet of the ground. The walls are thin, composed for 

 the most part of vegetable fibres, which are bleached to a uniform wood 

 color, and firmly felted together; the lining is of grass, sometimes mingled 

 with horsehairs and bits of newspapers. The eggs are pure white, 

 sparsely marked with small round spots of very dark brown. They 

 measure about .85 by .66. 



Vireo philadelphicus (Cassin) Bd. 



I*liiladelpliia Vireo. 



Vireo pMladelpMcus, Baird, P. E. E. Eep., ix, 1858, 335. — Wheaton, Ohio Agrio. Eep. for 

 1860, 1861, 365, 374; Eeprint, 7, 16; in Coues' Birds N. W., 1»74, 233; Food of Birds, 

 etc., Ohio Agric. Eep. for 1874, 1875, 565; Eeprint, 5.— Langdon, Cat. Birds of Gin., 

 1877, 7 ; Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 1878, 114 ; Eeprint, 5. 



Vireonylvia pMladelpMca, Baird, Eev. Am. Birds, 1865, 34. 



Vireosylvia philadelphicus, Baird, Brewer and Eidgway, N. A. Birds, i, 1874, 387. — 

 Lakgdon, Eevised List, Journ. Cin. 800. Nat. Hist., i, 1879, 173 ; Eeprint, 7. 



Vireosylvia pMladelphica, Cassin, Proc. Phila. Acad., 1851, 153. 



Above, dull olive-green, brightening on the rump, fading insensibly into ashy on the 

 crown, which is not bordered with blackish; a dull white superciliary line; below, 

 palest possible yellowish, whitening on throat and belly, slightly olive shaded on sides; 

 sometimes a slight creamy or buffy shade throughout the under parts ; no obvious 

 wing bars ; no spurious quill. Length, 4^5^; wing, about 2f; tail, about 2J; bill, 

 hardly or about i ; tarsus, f . 



Habitat, Eastern North America, especially the Mississippi Valley ; north to Hudson's 

 Bay ; south to Guatemala. Eare in the Atlantic States and New England. 



Not very common but regular spring and fall migrant, in May and 

 September. The Philadelphia Vireo is one of the most interesting of 

 the family, because of its comparatively recent discovery and general 

 rarity. It frequents woodland and the wooded borders of streams. I 



