THE BAY STATE OOLOGIST. 



43 



No. 140. Lanivireo Jtavifrons {VieilL), Yellow-throated Vireo. 



A rare summer resident in this locality ot which I have found only five nests 

 during my collecting. Two of these were found in the bottoms — one of them in 

 a pinoak tree 25 feet up—the others in the uplands, in postoaks, from eight to 

 fifteen feet from the ground. The few birds of this species that I've taken were 

 found indifferently in upland and bottom. I have had little opportunity to notice 

 the habits of the species, owing to their scarcity, but they seem to prefer the open 

 wooded portions, alike in this respect to another Vireo to be treated of later on. It 

 is a musician of no mean attainments, as can be testified by those who have heard 

 it during the spring. It is one of the largest of our Vireos, measuring from 5.75 

 to 6 inches in length. Extent, 9.50 to 10 inches. Olive green above. Throat 

 and fore-breast, bright yellow, (hence the name yellow-throated) changing to white 

 on the belly and under tail coverts. 



The nest, as usual with the genus, is pensile; composed of fine grasses, bits of 

 rotten wood, moss and fragments of leaves ; the whole neatly put together with 

 cobweb. Authorities state that the nest of this species is adorned on the outside 

 like the nest of the Humming-bird; but all the nests I've found could not be dif- 

 ferentiated from those of the other Vireos, being perhaps, a trifle larger 

 The eggs, as is usual with the family, are white, marked on the larger end (and 

 sometimes sparingly over the entire surface) with brown. Number, three or four 

 in a set, and average size of four eggs in my collection is . 74X.52 inches. 



No. 135. Vireosylvia olivacea (Linn.). Red-eyed Vireo. 

 Another of our summer visitors also rare here, and like the Yellow-tbroated 

 Vireo preferring open woodlands. A good singer and oftener heard than seen. 

 The bird wears the usual dress ot the genus; olive-green above; top of head ash. 

 edged with a blackish line, below this a white line over the eye; under parts white 

 shaded with greenish-yellow along the sides. Length, about 6.00 inches; extent, 

 10.00 inches or over. The only nest of this species I've taken is now before me. 

 It was taken out oi a small blackjack oak, pensile in the fork of a small twig, 

 about six feet up and contained four eggs. The nest is composed of strip of sbark, 

 weeds, small pieces of rotten wood and green moss. The outside is covered with 

 the moss and a few lichens, fastened together and to the fork with caterpillar silk. 

 The lining is done with a lot of thread-like brown rootlets. The eggs are white; 

 marked about the larger end with dark brown dots, and several larger spots of 

 same color. Having but the one set. I can say nothing of the variations. The 

 average of these four eggs is .79X.58 inches. 



