172 



BRANCH VERTEBRATA. 



FIG. 294. 



The Baltimore Oriole, noticeable for its brilliant plum- 

 age, almost invariably 

 reaches the latitude of 

 Southern New England 

 on the 10th of May. 

 Its rich and full-toned 

 melody defies verbal 

 equivalents.* Though 

 pernicious by injuring 

 the pea-crop, it more 

 than compensates by 



destroying the canker-worm and the tent -caterpillar, 



which few birds venture to disturb. The Oriole's, nest is 



composed of vegetable fibers, hair, etc., 



woven into a 



kind of purse, 



hung from the 



end of a 



limb.f 



Ic'te rus bal' Ci mure. Baltimore Oriole. 



FIG. 295. 



Nest of Oriole. 



* Nutall describes the notes of 

 its song thus : Tshippe-tshayia-too- 

 too - tshippe - the - tshippe - too - too. 

 The failure will be apparent to all 

 who compare it with the original. 

 t In the museum of Brown Uni- 

 versity is a nest originally sustained 

 by threads, fastened around two twigs 

 forming a fork. One of the twigs break- 

 ing off three days before the young were 



