CALIFORNIA HOODED ORIOLE 229 



a eucalyptus tree and fall 20 feet into a pond. They at once swam 

 ashore, paddling with their feet and with their wings spread out on 

 the water." 



Plumages. — The plumages and molts are similar to those of the 

 species elsewhere, described under Sennett's hooded oriole, to which 

 the reader is referred. 



Food. — Near Los Angeles, Illingworth (1901) found that the — 



Orioles are very beneficial to the horticulturist, although they eat some early fruit 

 such as berries, cherries, etc., but no fruit man will begrudge them these if he 

 thoroughly understands their habits. The chief food of the orioles consists of 

 insects and injurious caterpillars, and I have often watched them while they were 

 searching among the branches for this latter food. They are particularly fond of 

 a small green caterpillar that destroyed the foliage of the prune trees a few years 

 ago. The orioles are often seen in the berry patches but they are usually in search 

 of insects as is proven by the examination of a great number of stomachs. 



Voice. — Dawson (1923) describes the vocal efforts of this oriole as 

 "exceedingly variable both as to length and quality, now a weak 

 rasping phrase, now a succession of sputtering squeaks, half musical 

 and half wooden, and now a wild medley wherein are imbedded notes 

 of a liquid purity." 



Fall. — Most of the birds leave their summer haunts by the end of 

 August, but stragglers have been reported in southern California 

 throughout the winter. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Breeding range. — The California hooded oriole breeds from cen- 

 tral California (Solano County, Fresno, Clark Mountain) south to 

 northwestern Baja California (Santo Domingo, San Jos6); it is casual 

 in southern Nevada (Pahrump, Ash Meadows), where it may breed. 



Winter range. — Winters casually, north to southwestern Cali- 

 fornia (Pasadena, Los Angeles); the southern limits of its winter 

 range are unknown. 



Casual records. — Accidental in Kansas (Garden City). 



