78 
VIEEO OLIVACETJS. 
Eggs, oval in form, bluish-white in color, with the larger ends covered with round spots of black; there are also 
spots showing beneath the surface. The smaller ends are occasionally marked with black. Dimensions, from 
•90 x '65 to -80x60. 
HABITS. 
The singular lisping notes of the Cedar Bird may he heard during winter almost anywhere in 
Florida north of Lake Monroe. They move in large flocks here as is their custom elsewhere, 
but mainly frequent open places near settlements. As their food at that time consists mostly of 
insects, they doubtless find a large supply in those localities. I do not think they breed in the 
state but linger until May, when they go farther north. The migrating movements of this 
species in eastern Massachusetts are quite singular. In May, when the apple trees are in bloom, 
they appear in great numbers and subsist upon the larvae of various species of Lepidoptera, 
which infest these trees, occasionally interlarding their repast with the petals and stamens of the 
blossoms. About the middle of June, they build their nests, the young are out in July, and 
later may be seen in company with their parents chasing insects. They are especially abundant 
at this time in the vicinity of bodies of fresh water, and will often alight upon lily-leaves and 
other aquatic plants, in order to secure their prey; or will take their food by plunging 
downward from a limb which overhangs the water and hovering for a moment over the surface. 
By the first of September, they are gone and we seldom see them again until the following 
February, then when the cedar and savin berries are fully ripe, they appear in immense flocks 
and feed upon them. They will then also eat largely of the fruit of the mountain ash and 
asparagus. By the middle of March, they once more disappear and we do not see them again 
until the following June. These birds usually place their nests on the limbs of apple trees or 
in their favorite cedars. The parents are very solicitous for the safety of their eggs or young, 
and will alight quite near the intruder, continually uttering their sharp hissing notes. While 
incubating they pay very little attention to the presence of man; indeed I once knew a pair that 
constructed their nest in a small red cedar, which stood near a path along which many people 
were constantly passing, yet the female kept her place although the heads of pedestrians came 
within two or three feet of her; in fact she became so accustomed to all this bustle that it was 
only by endeavoring to take her in the hand that she could be induced to fly. 
FAMILY XI. VmEONIMh THE VIREOS. 
Bill, not wide at base nor deeply cleft; but curved and notched at tip. Coracoid bones, nearly equal in length to the 
top of the keel. Keel, moderately high, equaling in length one-half the width of sternum. 
These are birds of plain markings, being greenish above and yellow or white beneath; but, like many species 
with inconspicuous plumage, they are fine songsters. 
GENUS I. VIREO. THE GREENLETS. 
Gen. Ch. Sternal characters as given above. Wings, long. Tail, moderate. Bill, shorter than the head. 
VIREO OLIVACETJS. 
Red-eyed Vireo. 
Vireo olivaceus Vieill., Bon., Obs. Wils.; 1826, 124. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Sp. Ch. Form, rather slender. Size, moderate. Sternum, not stoutly built. Tongue, thin and horny, deeply 
cleft at the end, with the extreme tip provided with minute cilia. In young birds the tongue is not as deeply cleft, 
and the cilia extend along the sides. 
Color. Adult male. Above, olivaceous-green, with the wing and tail, excepting on the outer web, which is 
