THE NATURALIST AND COLLECTOR 
The Vireos of Illinois. 
HE Red-eyed Vireo, (Vireosylvia 
V 1 ' Olivacea ) is the most abundant 
1 woodland species, so much so 
in fact, as to make him a nui¬ 
sance to the collector—seeking- for his 
food continually, hopping- along a 
branch, peering into every nook and 
crevice of the bark, imitating the wood 
warblers so cleverly that he is oft- 
times mistaken for other species and 
killed, much to the regret of the gun¬ 
ner. 
Of his song Dr. Brewer says: ‘ The 
tender and pathetic utterances of this 
vireo, uttered with so much apparent 
animation, to judge from their sound 
are in striking contrast to the apparent 
indifference or imconciousness of the 
little vocalist, who, while thus delight¬ 
ing the ear of the listener seems to be 
all the while bent on procuring his 
daily supply of food, which it pursues 
with unabated ardor.” His food con¬ 
sists of noxious and destructive in¬ 
sects, thus making him a welcome vis¬ 
itor and a most beneficial bird. 
It builds a pensile nest, suspending 
it in a tree, at a height of from five to 
fifty feet from the ground. It is com¬ 
posed of various materials, fine pieces 
of barks, vegetable fibres, spider’s 
webs and various other substances en¬ 
tering into its composition, the whole 
being glued firmly together into a cup¬ 
like structure, by the saliva of the 
bird. The eggs are four in number, 
of a white color, spatted, chiefly at the 
larger end, with spots of dark brown. 
In size they measure about .68 x .55. 
The Warbling Vireo ( Vireosylvia 
Qilva) is abundant where the forests 
are extensive, preferring the edges of 
woods and margins of streams, some¬ 
times venturing to construct its nest in 
the trees which line the shady streets 
of the towns. 
Its nest is suspended from the end of 
a branch at a hight of about twenty- 
five feet from the ground. It is a bas¬ 
ket-like structure, composed of the 
stems of plants, vegetable fibres and 
lined with fine grasses. The eggs, 
which are white spotted with dark 
brown, are smaller than those of the 
Red-eye. 
The Yellow-throated Vireo, ( Vireo 
flavifrons) is common in the luxuriant 
forests of the bottom lands, and is the 
most handsome in plumage, as w 7 ell as 
the finest singer. 
It constructs a hemispherical nest, 
profusely decorated with lichens and 
mosses, which generally give it the 
appearance of a knot. The eggs are 
•easily distinguished from others of the 
same family, by their rosy tint, when 
fresh, and by their large’size. 
The White-eyed Vireo ( Vireo Nove- 
horacencis) called by the boys ‘‘Little 
Green Hanging Bird” or “Chickty 
beaver,” is abundant in hazel thickets 
bushy swamps and blackberry patches, 
continually announcing his presence 
by his clamorous notes, often trans¬ 
lated by the rural population as 
“chickty-beaver, limber stick,” empha¬ 
sizing the first syllable of each word. 
It is a very unsuspecting bird, al¬ 
lowing a near approach, often advan¬ 
cing nearer to g - et a better view, en¬ 
tirely-unconcious of any danger. These 
conditions are, however, reversed when 
they have a nest. They exhibit great 
uneasiness when close to their nest, 
scolding all the time and uttering a 
peculiar, mewing sound. 
The nest which is one of the most 
elegant specimens of bird architecture 
