Evening star., 1944-10-31
This and That
By Charles E. TraceUeH.
mpETI1rcnA nxn

De 1AEfOOh, NIL.
Dear Sir:
About the middle of September I
saw bird, no doubt warbler of some
sort, high in a tree by our house. I
was looking out the second story win
dow, at the time, and that was the way
l happened to see it..
1t was small, just few inches long,
with gray feathers, and green on the
back and around the top. There was
some white underneath, too, and there
was sort of white stripe across the
eye. This was a bit over the eye, and
went off to one side
Il realize my description is none too
clear, but I hope you will be able to
identify it for me. have been wonder
ing what 1t was.
Yours truly, G. H. D."
'&s*
This bird was. the warbling vireo.
1t is not common here, and seems TO
be growing rarer every year.
1t Is sometimes seen in the city, since
it is very fond of trees, no matter where
located.
This fine, small bird arrives here
about the middle of April, and usually
Is gone by September Is or Whereabouts.
Naples, oaks and elms are It's favor
ties, but any tall trees will do. Perhaps
it is regarded as quite rare because it
Is difficult to see.
We should feel pleased that this
beauty comes all the way from Guate-
mala to see US. The song is very pleas
ant, and. has been compared with the
opening notes of eChopin's Fantasy
Impromptu" It is a, true warbling song,
consisting of about eight notes, ending
suddenly on a high one
One authority has figured out, by
persistent listening, that the warbling
vireo repeats his simple song more than
1000 times a day.
This is probably fair average for
singing birds during the breeding sea-
son.
There can be little question that the
songsters sing great deal, keeping it
up at all times. even when they are
busy at their various tasks. This applies,
Of course, to the males, which do the
singing in most species.
The length of the warbling vireo is
51a inches, which puts it in the mod
erate-sized birds but still keeps it very
small. rs
Most vireos build beautiful nests, and
this one is no exception, but it seldom
puts any exterior ornamentation on
them, as many OF the others do.
In all nature there is no more beauti-
full nest than that made. by the vireos
It hangs from a slender bough, and is
made of woven vegetable fiber, strips Of
bark, grasses and cobweb It Is lined
with the finest, grasses, and, in the
typical nest, has pieces of cocoon and
bits of wasp and spider nests on the
OUTSIDE. at& 81
The warbling vireo nest is mostly
placed very high in q tree, and there
fore is hard to ,see The eggs are either
four or five Ia number, white spotted
with reddish brown dots;
The name svireo'' means, in Latin,
Il am green" These birds are some
times called greenlets., They are very
warbler-like lin all ways, especially IN
their incessant singing, and the charac.
ter Of their songs. /.
These are peculiarly American birds,
tropical in origin. They do q great
work In riddings trees Of span worms
and leaf rollers, and achieve their happy
results in the topa Of trees, where man
would seldom get. even With his sprays.
Other .,vireos ito; come to this section
are the red eyed tviteo, an abundant
summer Z resident; I the Philadelphia
vireo, the yeiIpw-thrp6ted vireo, the
solitary vireo 4fd TIL white e-eyed vireo.
When wesadd tlies4 tbrtlie 10 species Of
warblers vhichsardd{ the local scene, We
have'sa fAscinatink group Of songsters
which will 1t ne ssaink time be the Joy
Of bird loge14.i and their. despair, since
they; are exce6dinsly din1cult to identity.