TOWHEE (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) 



Length, about 8>:+ inches. Male mostly black, 

 belly white. Female brown. Outer tail feath- 

 ers white tipped. 



Range: Ikeeds m the L'nited States from 

 Saskatchewan and southeastern Canada south 

 to central Kansas and northern Georgia ; win- 

 ters from southeastern Nebraska and the Ohio 

 and Potomac southward. 



The towhee is a frequenter of second-growth 

 and of scrub, and when the visitor enters such 

 precincts he is pretty sure to hear the chal- 

 lenging cry, "chewink," and to catch sight of 

 the bird as it hurriedly dashes into some 

 Iirushy thicket as if m mortal terror. The 

 flight is hurried, jerky, and heavy, as though 

 the bird was accustomed to use its wings only 

 in emergencies. This is not far from being 

 the case, as the towhee sticks close to mother 

 earth and uses its great strength and long 

 claws to advantage in making the leaves and 

 rubbish fly in its vigorous efforts to uncover 

 the seeds and insects upon which it relies for 

 food. The towhee thus literally scratches for 

 a living as no other of our birds does, except 

 possibly the brown thrush, and the lazy man 

 may well pass by the industrious ant and go 

 to the towhee for inspiration. No one waxes 

 enthusiastic over its musical ability, but the 

 song IS given with such right good will that it 

 is sure to satisfy the hearer as, no doubt, it 

 does the bird himself. The towhee includes in 

 its bill of fare beetles and their larvje, ants, 

 moths, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and flies, and 

 also in Texas the boll weevil. Wild fruit and 

 berries complete the list. 



ORCHARD ORIOLE (Icterus spurius) 



Length, about 7,'4 inches. Our only oriole 

 with black and chestnut markings. Female 

 grayish olive green. 



Range : Confined to eastern Xorth .\merica. 

 Breeds from Xorth Dakota, Minnesota, Wis- 

 consin, Michigan, southern Ontario, central 

 Xew York, and Massachusetts south to north- 

 ern Florida, the Gulf coast and southern Mex- 

 ico, west to central Xebraska and western 

 Kansas; winters from southern Mexico to 

 northern Colombia. 



Though clad in modest garb ( for an oriole) 

 and in no respect a rival of the Baltimore, the 

 orchard oriole has merits of his t^wn. As his 

 name implies, he is a lo\er of orchards.. and 1 

 have always associated him with the glory of 

 a])ple orchards in full bloom and with the de- 

 licious i)erfume with which the air is heavy. 

 Amidst such surrounditigs, the black and chest- 

 nut livery of the orchard oriole marks him as 

 I nc of the princes of our bird world. Gar- 

 dens and parks also know him well, and he is 

 not averse to swinging his nest from the trees 

 that shade the farmer's house. Mis nest be- 

 trays his connection with the family of weav- 

 ers, but his skill does not equal that of the 

 llaltimore and he is content with a smaller 

 pensile basket made chiefly of grasses. His 

 song, like his dress, is modest, but it is exceed- 

 ingly sweet, and one who hears it is sure to 

 pause in his walk and wish that it were longer 

 and given more frequently. 



CALIFORNIA BROWN TOWHEE 

 (Pipilo crissalis and varieties) 



Length, .nbout 9 inches. The long tail and 

 brown plumage with white belly distinguish 

 these ground- and thicket-loving birds. 



Range: Southwestern Oregon, through Cali- 

 fornia to nortliern Lower California. 



The brown towhees, of wliich the California 

 form is a good type, are characteristic of the 

 brushy canyons of the far west, where they 

 skulk and hide among the shrubbery and cac- 

 tus much as do the connnon eastern towhees. 

 Their powers of wing are not great and their 

 long tails and heavy bodies render their flight 

 awkward in the extreme. On the ground, 

 however, they run with great ease and speed. 

 Tn California brown towhees are common in 

 the parks and gardens, and in every way are 

 very much more familiar than the related tow- 

 hee of the east. Like its eastern cousin, it is 

 much addicted to scratching among leaves and 

 rubbish, for which work its stout legs and 

 claws are particularly adapted. The thin 

 "tchip," which is the call note, seems out of all 

 proportion coming from such a stout, vigorous 

 body. The birds of this group are not fine 

 songsters, but their simple ditties are pleasant 

 to hear in the waste places where they are gen- 

 erally found. 



The brown towhee is much more of a vege- 

 tarian than an insect eater, and in California 

 Professor Beal found that 85 per cent of its 

 yearly food consists of fruit, grain, and weed 

 seeds. 



BALTIMORE ORIOLE (Icterus galbula) 



Length, about "jYi inches. The combination 

 of black and orange marks this bird from its 

 fellows. 



Range : Breeds from central Saskatchewan 

 and the southeastern provinces of Canada 

 south to northern Texas, Louisiana, and north- 

 ern Georgia, west to INIontana, Wyoming, and 

 eastern Colorado; winters from southern Mex- 

 ico to Colombia. 



Lord Baltimore w-as signally honored when 

 one of our finest birds was christened with his 

 name because it chanced to carry the family 

 colors — black and yellow. Orioles arc a trop- 

 ical group and the luxuriant tropical forests 

 are bright with the gleammg colors of many 

 species of these beautiful birds. Only a few 

 have found their way into the temperate zone, 

 but not one of the tropical species is garbed 

 in more tasteful dress than this exotic which 

 has adopted the elms and sycamores of the 

 temperate zone for its summer home. When 

 chill Xovember winds have stripped our shade 

 trees of their foliage then are revealed the 

 long, pendant nests, wrought with so much 

 .skill and patience by Madame Oriole, and we 

 begin to realize how many of these birds sum- 

 mer with us. Suitable material for the oriole 

 nest is none too easily found, and the weaver 

 is not so fastidious that she will not accept 

 strings and yarn of any color which are hung 

 out for her convenience ; so that at the end of 

 the oriole season the bird lover who is willing 

 to cooperate with a pair of Xature's weavers 

 mav fall heir to a nest made to order. 



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