This species shows a partiality for low, swampy places, covered with briars or tangled thickets of blackberry vines. Their habits are entirely different from any of the preceding Vireos. They do not seem to sing as they eat, but feed in silence, then, the task ended, mount to the tops of the brush and indulge in an endless variety of calls and whistles.
Song.—A great variety of clear whistles and squeaky notes.
Nest.—A bulky structure of strips of bark, leaves, paper, etc., either placed in the branches or partially suspended in a fork; eggs white with minute brown specks (.75 × .55).
Range.—Eastern United States, breeding from the Gulf to Massachusetts and Manitoba; winters in Mexico.
Sub-Species.—631a. Key West Vireo (maynardi), southern Florida. 631b. Bermuda White-eyed Vireo (bermudianus), resident in the Bermudas. 631c. Small White-eyed Vireo (micrus); southeastern Texas.
BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER
636. Mniotilta varia. 5¼ inches
Male, heavily streaked with black below; female, with only a few streaks on the sides.
These Warblers are usually known as Black and White Creepers because of their habit of creeping along the limbs and branches of trees. They are abundant in northern United States, being found in open woods, swamps and often in parks, gleaning insects and grubs from crevices in the bark.