158 THE RED-EYED VIREO. 



finished. It was situated on the extremity of a branch of an oak, at the 

 height of about 30 feet. Being in that situation quite inaccessible, I fastened 

 a cord to the end of the limb, and by bringing it closer to the body of the 

 tree and securing it in that situation, I put it within reach. Although by 

 this means the nest was nearly inverted, the bird did not forsake it, but 

 built up the under side, and adapted it to its new situation. About a fort- 

 night after, I found in the nest two eggs of the Cow Troopial advanced in 

 incubation, although there were none of the eggs of the owner of the nest. 

 On the 30th of the same month, the egg of the Vireo was found to have been 

 added. This had been sat upon a few days; and those of the Troopial were 

 nearly ready to be hatched. This fact is one of the most satisfactory kind, 

 for not merely one, but actually two eggs of the Cow Blackbird were 

 deposited, and instead of being forsaken were incubated for at least a week 

 before the bird was ready to lay any of her eggs; and although repeatedly 

 disturbed, first by having her empty and unfinished nest nearly inverted, 

 then by having the eggs of the Cow-bird removed and afterwards replaced 

 in order to put their identity beyond doubt, and again by having her own 

 eggs removed, she still clung to her adopted younglings with unexampled 

 fidelity." 



Red-eyed Flycatcher, Muscicapa olivacea, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. ii. p. 55. 

 Vireo olivaceus, Bonap. Syn,, p. 71. 



Vireo olivaceus, Bed-eyed Greenlet, Swains, and Rich. F. Bor. Amer., vol. ii. p. 233. 

 Red-eyed Vireo, Vireo olivaceus, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. ii. p. 287; vol. v. p. 430. 



Adult Male. 



Bill of moderate length, strong, depressed at the base, compressed towards 

 the end, somewhat ascending. Upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly 

 convex, the sides convex, the edges sharp and notched towards the end, the 

 tip acute and suddenly deflected; lower mandible with the dorsal line also 

 slightly convex, the back rounded, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip 

 acute. Nostrils basal, lateral, oblong. Head rather large, neck short, body 

 rather robust. Feet of ordinary length; tarsus compressed, anteriorly 

 scutellate, sharp behind; toes slender, free; claws arched, compressed, acute. 



Plumage soft and blended. Wings rather long, the second and third 

 primaries longest; tail of ordinary length, slightly emarginate. Bristles at 

 the base of the bill short. 



Bill brown above, pale bluish-grey beneath. Iris red. Feet bluish-grey. 

 The general colour of the plumage above is light yellowish-olive, the crown 

 of the head deep-grey, bordered on each side by a line of blackish, below 

 which is a line of greyish-white passing from the nostril over the eye. 



