2 THE A U-D\U BO N*-B Usieiie lai 
BEHAVIOR AT NEST 
In 1923 I heard a Bell’s vireo in the same general locality, a tract of 
waste land north of the city of Springfield. Returning on the morning of 
the 1st of July, I found the bird singing in a large, bushy wild crab, in a 
strip of dense thicket close to a road. As this bush seemed to be his head- 
quarters, from which to announce squatter’s rights, I-crawled under it and 
soon was examining a nest and one egg. His mate did not appear. I with- 
drew to a place in the open and sat down to watch developments. The vireo 
Wrecked nest of Bell’s vireo which had not been abandoned 
spent much of his time in the nest bush, and usually, while at home, kept 
up his seemingly irate conversation. To human ears he might have been 
scolding his spouse, who was always silent, telling her repeatedly what a 
mess she had made of their affairs and then asking in emphatic and 
incensed tones how she expected him to live with her any longer. But to 
her ears I suppose this was all very charming. Occasionally the male flew 
away, but he soon returned to sing in the home bush or one near by. 
There was no bird at the nest when I came within sight of it at 7:00 
o’clock on the morning of the 6th, nor had there been any singing as I 
approached. Soon after I had entered my hiding place under the bushes 
near the nest the vireo began to sing in the nest bush. After he had con- 
tinued for some time I caught a glimpse of the female, but she did not 
utter a sound or go near the nest. Finally the male slipped into the nest, 
