376 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



records being before me, but its nest has been taken near Auburn, Buffalo, 

 Lockport and Dunkirk. Doctor Heimstreet also records it as a summer 

 resident at Troy; C. L. Avery at Herkimer; and W. J. Youngs in Delaware 

 county. It is a very curious circumstance that David Bruce sets it down 

 as an abundant summer resident at Brockport, N. Y. On several visits 

 in that vicinity I have been unable to meet with a single specimen of the 

 species, nor have I ever seen it in western New York except on one occa- 

 sion in the vicinity of Rochester during 1 1 years of observation. Therefore, 

 it seems to me that this bird is more southerly in distribution than the 

 Orchard oriole, the Yellow-breasted chat or the Louisiana water-thrush 

 in New York State. 



Haunts and habits. The haunts of the White-eyed vireo are thick- 

 ets and damp tangles. It remains near the ground. It seems more 

 like one of the small flycatchers in habits than the other species of vireos. 

 When its haunts are invaded, it shouts a curious questioning or protesting 

 note as if he asked abruptly, " What do you want, you ? " Also a scolding 

 note and whining is suggestive of the Catbird. His song is described by 

 Bicknell as brief and emphatic, at least two distinct changes, a voluble, 

 confused outpouring of singularly involved and varied notes heard through 

 the latter part of May and the month of June, rarely noticed in July and 

 August, but the autumnal revival song occurs about the first of September. 



The spring migration of this species begins from the 29th of April 

 to the 12th of May in southeastern New York; in the fall it disappears 

 between September 20 and October 10. Nests with eggs are found between , 

 May 24 and June 12, later nests sometimes being discovered until the 

 middle of July. They are placed near the ground, suspended from the 

 forked branch of laurel, briers or small bushes. The exterior is composed 

 of light materials like bits of rotten wood, spiders' nests, bits of newspapers, 

 bits of down from weeds, and almost any article found about. The frame- 

 work of the structure is woven from grass blades and fine strips of bark. 

 The eggs are 3 or 4 in number, white, sparingly spotted with black and 

 reddish brown. They average .75 by .55 inches in dimensions. This is 



