224 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 211 



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

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

 reader is referred. 



Food. — In general, the food of this oriole consists of a combination 

 of insects and the nectar of flowers, but also some fruits, such as 

 berries and cherries. In addition to the fruits mentioned above, 

 hooded orioles are fond of loquats, but in my experience they pay 

 little attention to peaches, grapes, or other later ripening soft fruits. 

 Nectar undoubtedly fills a larger place in their diet than is recognized 

 by some writers. Where suitable flowering plants are present in 

 abundance, the birds will spend much time in diligently probing the 

 blossoms of agaves, aloes, hibiscus, lilies, and other tubular forms. 

 In procuring nectar from large flowers, the favored method is to 

 perch on the stem of the blossom and puncture the base of the tube 

 with the sharp bill. While a certain amount of insect food would 

 naturally be obtained from the flowers, the fact that nectar is the 

 primary object is indicated by their custom of occasionally slitting 

 unopened lily buds, a habit by no means popular with gardeners. 



As might be expected from their fondness for nectar, orioles enthu- 

 siastically respond to offerings of sugar sirup, of which they will 

 consume relatively large quantities, drinking deeply and often. They 

 appear rather more tolerant of dilution of the sirup than do humming- 

 birds. An originally saturated solution seems to be as readily taken 

 when diluted to half strength. 



Behavior. — Except with respect to its nests, this species seems to 

 have received little detailed study. Of its general habits, Mrs. 

 Wheelock (1904) says: "Like the orchard oriole, he haunts the heavy 

 foliage, flitting through the open only en route to a fresh pasture. 

 Restless, shy, ever on the move, searching for caterpillars on the under 

 sides of the leaves chickadee fashion, picking in the crevices for larvae 

 like a nuthatch, and snapping up grasshoppers with a little jump as 

 do young meadowlarks, he is usually to be found within 12 feet of the 

 ground." While these statements are true as generalizations, the 

 hooded oriole does not hesitate to risk a more exposed situation when 

 necessary in order to explore the flowering stalk of an agave or aloe, 

 and the males sometimes sing from the tops of tall trees. 



Their agility on the wing is apparently not such as to encourage 

 them to attempt the capture of flying insects, though the flight is 

 fairly strong and swift. It seems, however, to be used solely as a 

 means of getting from one place to another, and never as a method of 

 expressing exuberance of spirit or expending surplus energy. In 

 going about through the trees and shrubbery, the orioles are likely to 

 climb along the branches with minimum use of the wings. When 



