286 RED-EYED VIREO. 
herbs were garmented in beautiful fresh green or in flowers, was deep and enduring. 
The Red-eyed Vireo arrives in south-eastern Texas from its winter-quarters in the 
first days of April. About April 25 I observed them at Freistatt, Lawrence Co., Mo., 
and about May 20 in Sheboygan Co., Wis. According to the weather these dates may 
change somewhat. In the autumn they leave the Northern and Middle States in Sep- 
tember. As late as October 15 I have seen them in south-eastern Texas. 
After their arrival they are very quiet and retired, but this changes when the trees 
don their garments of fresh green leaves, and when the air is mild and warm. They 
only seem to feel perfectly safe among the dense green foliage. In Texas the woods are 
always perfectly green when this Vireo arrives, but farther north, especially in Wisconsin, 
it usually makes its appearance several days before the leaf buds burst. From under 
the canopy of foliage the song is poured forth with such energy and persistence, that 
the bird rarely pauses a moment while capturing an insect. To my ear this song sounds 
exceedingly melodious. From early morn till the twilight of evening falls we may listen 
to it. Even at noon, when all other birds are resting, when rarely another sound 
interrupts the quietness of the woods, we may hear it sing as diligently as ever. Though 
a violent storm swing the tree-tops to and fro, though the rain pour down in torrents, 
this tireless songster can still be heard. Only during very cool and damp weather it 
becomes quiet and somewhat depressed, but the old happiness and song returns with 
the sunshine, and it sings among the wet and dripping foliage as lively as though nothing 
had happened. The sentiment expressed in this song is always that of cheerfulness. 
Dr. Elliott Coues says, that in the District of Columbia during the heat of the summer 
the Red-eye’s energetic and voluble notes resound, no less than the querulous plaints of 
the Wood Pewees, throughout the woods. ‘The persistency of these musicians is really 
remarkable; they sing at all hours, even at the listless noon, which invites most birds 
to rest in the shade, and prolong their nervous notes to the very end of summer, long 
after the exaltation of other Warblers has passed away. If we watch a Red-eye, as 
we may easily do, in the nearest piece of wood, or in the shade-trees close by the house, 
we shall see him performing in a very nonchalant, almost mechanical way, as he goes 
about his business of fly-catching, sometimes stopping in the midst of a bar to snap at 
an insect, and resuming the note as soon as he has fairly cleared his throat. No one 
of the sylvan choir is more simple and unaffected than this modest performer, who seems 
to sing unconsciously or as if absorbed in reverie, while his daily work goes on.” 
Nuttall, who had a very fine ear for the sylvan voices, gives the following 
description of the Red-eye’s song: ‘When our Vireo sings slow enough to be distinctly 
heard, the following sweetly warbled phrases, variously transposed and tuned, may 
often be caught by the attentive listener: ’tshode peweé peeai musik ’du ’dti’du, ’tshoéve 
*hére ’hére, hear hére, hear hére, ’k’ing ’ritshard, ’p’shégru ’tshevii, ’tsheevoo, ’tshtivee 
peeait ’péroi. The whole delivered almost without any sensible interval, with earnest 
animation, in a pathetic, tender, and pleasing strain, well calculated to produce calm 
and thoughtful reflection in the sensitive mind.” 
“The song of this Vireo,” says Dr. T. M. Brewer, ‘is loud, musical, simple, and 
pleasing. It is uttered in short, emphatic bars, and at times has a very marked 
resemblance to the melodious chant of the Robin, though without its volume and 
