212 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 211 



at Lomita. The three nests were found in heavy timber, some ten or 

 twelve feet from the ground, are half-pensile, something like those 

 of the Orchard and Bullock's Orioles, and attached to upright 

 terminal branches. They are composed of dried grasses woven 

 among the growing twigs and leaves, so as to form a matting light and 

 firm. They measure on the inside some three inches in depth and 

 rather more in width." 



Since then, the National Museum has received from William L. 

 Ralph a fine series of the eggs, taken near Brownsville, Texas. Based 

 on this material, Bendire (1895) describes the nest as follows: 



The nest of this Oriole is usually placed in mesquite trees, in thickets and open 

 woods, from 6 to 14 feet from the ground. It is a semipensile structure, woven 

 of fine, wire-like grass used while still green, and resembles those of the Hooded 

 and Orchard Orioles, which are much better known. The nest is firmly attached 

 both on the top and sides, to small branches and growing twigs, and, for the size 

 of the bird, it appears rather small. One, now before me, measures 3 inches in 

 depth inside by about the same in inner diameter. The rim of the nest is somewhat 

 contracted to prevent the eggs from being thrown out during high winds. The 

 inner lining consists of somewhat finer grass tops, which still retain considerable 

 strength, and are even now, when perfectly dry, difficult to break. Only a single 

 nest of those found was placed in a bunch of Spanish moss, and this was sus- 

 pended within reach of the ground; the others were all attached to small 

 twigs. * * * 



Nidification begins sometimes early in April, but usually about the last week 

 in this month. Fresh eggs have been taken on April 23 and as late as June 8. 

 Attempts are probably frequently made to rear two broods in a season, but many 

 of them are unquestionably destroyed each year by the Red-eyed Cowbird, 

 as well as through other causes. 



Eggs. — Bendire (1895) gives the following good description of the 

 eggs: 



The number of eggs to a set varies from three to five. Sets of one or two eggs 

 of this Oriole, with two or three Cowbirds' eggs, seem to be most frequently 

 found, some of the first-named eggs being thrown out to make room. 



The eggs differ somewhat in the character of their markings from those of the 

 remainder of our Orioles; they are ovate and elongate ovate in shape, and the 

 shell is rather frail and lusterless. The ground color is either pale bluish or 

 grayish white, and occasionally the egg is only slightly flecked with fine markings 

 and a few hair lines of different shades of brown and dark purple, these being 

 nearly evenly distributed over the surface. In others the ground color is partly 

 obscured with a pale purple suffusion, and more profusely blotched and streaked 

 with different shades of claret brown, purple, ferruginous, and lavender, re- 

 sembling somewhat certain types of Brewer's Blackbirds' eggs, while an occasional 

 set is profusely blotched with coarse, heavy markings of cinnamon rufous and 

 numerous finer spots of the same tint, these almost completely hiding the ground 

 Golor. The markings are generally heaviest about the larger end of the egg. 



The largest egg of the series measures 26.42 by 18.80 millimetres, or 1.04 by 

 0.74 inches; the smallest, 23.62 by 17.78 millimetres, or 0.93 by 0.70 inch. 



