July 



eggs. The circumstantial evidence already 

 offered would almost have justified this accusa- 

 tion. I knew he did not wear that culprit- 

 look for nothing. A wolf in sheep's clothing 

 is a common occurrence, but a saint never 

 wears a sinner's livery.) 



There are few of our birds combining so 

 many of the gifts and graces of their kind as 

 the Baltimore oriole, in showy array of orange, 

 black, and white, and an excellent entertainer 

 in song and manner. In allusion to its appear- 

 ance it is also called '' golden robin," and '' fire- 

 bird," and from the peculiar pensile construc- 

 tion of its nest, it gets the name of '' hang-nest." 

 Its more popular name of Baltimore oriole is de- 

 rived, not from the city of that name, but from 

 the Earl of Baltimore, who became the lord of 

 Maryland in colonial days. His followers no- 

 ticed the correspondence of the yellow and 

 black on his heraldic livery with the coloring of 

 the bird which vv^as abundant in his new estates, 

 and it became known as the '' Baltimore bird." 

 A vigorous manner commands admiration quite 

 as quickly as any other quality, and in this re- 

 s^^ect the oriole is in pleasing contrast to the 

 scarlet tanager. Possessed of a strong and ex- 

 cellent voice, it sings freely, and has a delightful 



197 



