KED-EYED VIKEO 137 



his time among the leaves that unless one knows his song 

 and follows it to its source one sees little of the singer. 

 A male often sings for a long time on one twig, merely 

 turning his head from side to side. 



The song is made up of separate phrases of from two to 

 four syllables, with either a rising or a falling inflection, as 

 if the bird were carrying on a conversation. The phrases are 

 separated by very short intervals, and vary greatly. Certain 

 forms recur, but in no fixed order. Beginners have much 

 difficulty in distinguishing the song -of the Red-eye from 

 that of the Robin. This latter is a true song, an outburst of 

 melody in which the same phrases are repeated in a definite 

 sequence and after a certain interval. There is more power, 

 too, in the voice. The Red-eye's phrases are each separated 

 by a slight interval, so that it is impossible to say when the 

 song is over ; it goes on practically all day. The songs of 

 the Yellow-throated and the Solitary Vireo resemble that 

 of the Red-eye in form, but each possesses more power, and 

 the latter greater sweetness. 



To distinguish a Red-eye when not in song from the 

 warblers which frequent the tree-tops, it is necessary to get 

 a view of the pure white under parts, and to note the 

 heavier proportions, and the more leisurely behavior. From 

 the Warbling Vireo it may be distinguished either by the 

 markings on the side of the head (see Fig. 27), or by the 

 song (see p. 135). The red eye is visible only at very short 

 range, when the female, for instance, is sitting in the nest 

 and allows a very near approach. 



SHRIEHS : FAMII.7 LANIID^! 



MiGKANT Sheike. Lanius ludovicianus migrans 

 9.00 

 Ad. — Top of head and back ash-gray; black lines extending 

 from sides of throat through the eyes and meeting over the bill; 



