Nov., ?9o6 I THE OBF, RItOI,SER VIREO ?49 inches. The eggs are ovate iu shape, clear white in ground color, with a wreath about the large end of each of rather bold spottings of chestnut, hazel and vina- ceous-cinnamo1?. These markings are more distinct, and therefore more conspicu- ous, than in any eggs of ?. h. huttoni I have ever seeu, tho this may not necessa- rily be a subspecific trait. The eggs measure, in hundredths of all inch, .70x.53, .70x.53, aud .69x.54. I find no difficulties iu the way of recoguiziug three forms of the Hutton vireo in California; uamely: l/ireo httltorti httl/o,ti CASSlN, which is the form locally common west of the Sierras from Redlauds (fide Bishop, l.c.) to the Siskiyou Mountains at the extreme northern border of the State (See ANDERSON and GR?N- NELL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila., Jan. 1903, page 12); I'?rro huttoni oberholseri Bin}my, so far definitely determined only from Witch Creek and Escoudido, San Diego Couuty; and l/ireo mailliardorttm ?RINNELL, from Sauta Cruz Island (CON'- DOR V, November 1903, page 157). T/troop Polytechnic {?tstituh', ?asadena, Cahfornia. Observations on the Notes and Ways of Two Western Vireos ANNA IIEAD O the readers of T?E CO?'DO? who enjoyed Mr. Fiuley's beantifully illus- trated article on the Cassin and the warbling vireos in the May, 1903, num- ber, a fe?v stray notes on points about the details of their domestic life may not be without interest. My first nest of [/ireo gilvus swaDtso?zi was shown me by the father, whose pretty habit of singing constantly iu the neighborhood of the uest, xvhile doubtless encouraging to his patient wife, is really dangerous to the safety of the family. There was a tall pear tree just out of bloom, which shaded my cabin. Here I found the dainty structure, one of the prettiest nests I have ever seen, not except- ing that of the Anna hummer. The bird had carefrilly matched the pale greenish white coloration of the under side of the youug pear leaves, weaviug into the very open fiber of the nest bits of lichen and the greauish hanging moss which thrives in the moist air of Mendocino County. It was very deep and narrow,. ahnost like an oriole's, and hung from the txvigs uear the end of a branch about fifteen feet from the ground. When the female flew off, the male came and chased her ou again with harsh scolding notes. They also have a very soft, confidential uote that sounds like "prit-prit." When the female is sitting and hears the male approach, she gives a low but harsh sound like "ca-a-a-a." This is a good sigu to find a nest by, but it cannot be heard uuless one happens to be quite near. The male, when approaching, utters a rapid sputtering or patteriug note, very differcut from his true song, which is a warble consisting of three.accents, with short uotes iuter- spersed, and euding in a cheerful rising inflection. I watched another nest which swung ouly abont six feet up in an alder, and here I forrod that both male and female shared in the duties of iucubatiou. The female would raise her head prettily and listen as the song of the male came nearer, but only slip off when he was ready to take her place. The bough swayed so that it seemed that the eggs would roll out; but I suppose the loose, elastic structure of the nest held them in.
