452 LAND BIRDS 



leaves he peers with unabated interest, searching care- 

 fully for the small worms of which he is so fond. His 

 slender bill, with the hook at the end and bristles at the 

 base, reminds one of the flycatchers, but surely this 

 phlegmatic plodder could never belong to the restless, 

 darting, nervous flycatcher family. 



Both the male and the female work busily at the 

 building of the nest. Beginning at the top, they weave 

 moss and fibre over and around the supporting twigs, 

 leaving loose ends to be caught into the walls and 

 bottom of the structure. The work is all done from the 

 inside until the walls are firm, and then bits of the 

 external decoration are carefully tucked on. 



The brooding is all done by the female, while the de- 

 voted master of the household sings early and late from 

 a perch in the same tree. This habit of singing so near 

 the nest is characteristic of all the vireos, but is rare 

 among other birds. He also feeds her very often during 

 the day, and, as soon as the young appear, takes more 

 than his share of the labor of caring for them. 



Only ten days are required to incubate the eggs of the 

 vireos, and one of my own records says seven forHutton 

 Vireo. All vireo nestlings are born naked except for 

 the hair-like down that waves thinly on head and back. 

 In this bird family it is even less perceptible than in 

 most young birds, almost requiring a microscope to dis- 

 cover it. They are fed by regurgitation for five days 

 and, after that, the food is usually reduced to pulp 

 before being given to them. It consists almost entirely 

 of small tree-worms, green and white, the latter some- 



