PRAIRIE BIRDS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. 199 
his wings and tail raised and legs dangling —the whole time 
singing with all his might. Mingled with these, the loudest songs, 
were heard the sweet sad chant of the little field sparrow (Spizella 
pusilla), the pleasant cheerful notes of the ground robin, or ‘ che- 
wink” (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), the rich whistlings of the car- 
dinal grosbeak (Cardinalis Virginianus), and the glad ‘‘ bob-white” 
of the quail (Ortyx Virginianus). During a lull in the chorus we 
heard, from the depths of the thicket, a very curious gabbling, or 
‘sputtering song, which was entirely new to us. We hastened to 
the thicket, and, entering it as far as possible, lay in wait for the 
strange songster to resume his vocal performance. In a few min- 
utes a little grayish bird carefully approached, flitting cautiously 
from twig to twig, now and then halting, and, after uttering the 
peculiar notes which had attracted our attention, would stretch 
- out his neck and eye us with great curiosity and evident suspicion. 
After observing him carefully to our satisfaction at a distance of 
hardly a rod, we found that he was Bell’s greenlet (Vireo Beliii), 
a species of the plains east of the Rocky Mountains from Texas 
northward, and not before detected east of the Mississippi river. 
After we had become satisfied of his identity we shot him; but 
upon attempting to secure our prize we found the briery under- 
growth too intricate and powerful to allow a passage through it. 
In nearly all the thickets others of the same species were fre- 
quently heard, so that it appeared to be common in that locality. 
The little white-eyed greenlet (V. Noveboracensis) was also com- 
mon in the same thickets, and was easily distinguished by his | 
well-known notes, an attempted translation of which gives it the 
local name of “ chickty-beaver bird.” As we remained patiently 
watching for the specimen of Bell’s vireo, spoken of above, other 
little birds would now and then hop cautiously near us, or flit 
through the undergrowth before us. Among these were recognized 
the chestnut-sided warbler (Dendreca Pensylvanica), the golden 
winged warbler (Helminthophaga chrysoptera), and a pair of 
mourning warblers (Geothlypis Philadelphia). The first two spe- 
cies represent in the scantily wooded portions the cerulean 
warbler (D. ceerulea) and the blue-winged yellow warbler (H. 
pinus) of the3forests of the bottom-lands. 
In the open groves at the border of the timber, the usual wood- 
land species were noticed; and among them, the vermilion tana- 
gers (Pyranga estiva) frequently warbled their robin-like, but 
