BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 



103 



melody through aU the varied music of fields and 

 thickets. 



The nest is on the ground and is often domed to 

 look like a tussock of dried grass. It will only be 

 found by accident or diligent search, for the old birds 

 do not drop directly to it, but go down some distance 

 away and run along through the grass or clover. The 

 rather large eggs, 4 to 6, are white, thickly speckled 

 with cinnamon-l)rown. 



The winter plumage of the Meadowlark is much 

 duller than that of summer. Prof. Beal counts him 

 among our most useful birds, and says he is " entitled 

 to all possible protection." 



Baltimore Oriole: Ictenis galbiila. 



Length 7^ inches. 



Male, head, neck and upper back black. 



Under parts and lower back bright orange: wings and 

 tail mostly black. 



Female, upper parts brown and black; under parts dull 

 orange; white wing-bars. 



Resident (rather common) from ]\Iay i to September; 

 winters in Central America. 



We are always delighted when a pair of Baltimore 

 Orioles elect to swing their hammock in one of our 

 tree-tops. Life seems uncommonly well worth living 

 wdien set to such joyous music as they shower dow^n 

 on us all day long in earl\^ summer; and then it is a 

 rare pleasure to see the golden beauty flashing in and 

 out of the foliage, and to w^atch the domestic ways of 

 his pretty brown mate with the white wing-bars, 

 wdiose identity was such a puzzle when w^e first began 

 to make bird acquaintances. One little dame w^as 

 friendly enough to let us overlook her weaving and to 

 graciously accept the bits of string we offered her. The 



