198 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 211 



2 cottonwoods, 2 nests; the only pecan held 4 nests; there was 1 nest 

 in 1 of the 2 loquat shrubs; in over 50 ornamental shrubs there were 

 only 2 nests; and in over 100 black elderberries there were only 2 nests. 



"The most surprising discovery occurred about a month after nest- 

 ing had begun at the headquarters area. I had frequently seen orchard 

 orioles in the vast marshes which extend eastward from the Mississippi 

 for a distance of some 10 miles to the waters of the Gulf. I hadn't 

 suspected nesting in such an unusual habitat for the orchard oriole 

 until I found some very agitated adult birds in a cane break near the 

 mouth of Dead Women Pass. A search revealed their nest. It was 

 built in roseau canes, Phragmites communis. The nest was woven 

 about three stalks, which acted as its support. This nest, and others 

 which were discovered later, was located on the outer edge of a cane 

 break overlooking a body of water. 



"On all subsequent visits to the marsh I made every effort to find 

 new nests. Eventually some 10 were found in widely separated 

 areas of the marsh; one was less than a hundred yards from the mud 

 flats of the Gulf of Mexico. All were built in roseau cane, usualty 

 at a height of about 7 feet. Some nests were completely built of 

 various grasses, while others were almost entirely constructed of salt 

 meadow cordgrass, Spartina patens. Those furthest from willows, 

 sometimes as far as 5 miles from a tree of any kind, were lined with 

 cattail down. Otherwise the chief item used was the down from 

 willow catkins. The only exception to this was in areas where this- 

 tles (found only on filled-in land) grew nearby. Then thistledown 

 was used copiously in lining nests." 



Referring to the nests in trees, he noted that the lowest nest was 

 2% feet from the ground, and the highest nearly 40 feet. "As often 

 observed, the orchard oriole showed preference to trees occupied by 

 the eastern kingbird. Two kingbird nests were in the study area. 

 One of the nests was in a small hybrid oak. Nesting concurrently 

 in the same tree were four pair of orchard orioles." 



Of seven nests under daily observation, five were built in 3 days, 

 one in 4 days and one in 5. 



Eggs. — The orchard oriole lays from three to seven eggs to a set, 

 four and five being the commonest numbers; Bendire (1895) says 

 from four to six, mostly five. He describes them as follows: 



The eggs are mostly ovate in shape, but occasionally a set is found which is 

 decidedly elongate ovate. The shell is moderately strong, close grained, and 

 without gloss. The ground color is usually pale bluish white, and this is some- 

 times faintly overlaid with pale pearl gray or grayish white. The markings, 

 which are nearly always heaviest about the larger end of the egg, consist of 

 blotches, spots, scrawls, and tracings of several shades of brown, purple, lavender, 

 and pearl gray, varying in amount and intensity in different specimens. In the 

 majority of the eggs before me the darker markings predominate, but the lighter- 



