90 MERTJLIDiE. 



authority of Mr. Hewitson, it is often seen "enlivening the 

 most bleak and desolate islands with its sweet song. It 

 shares with the Eedwing the name of Nightingale, and 

 often delighted us in our midnight visits amongst the 

 islands." Its habits and food while it remains with us 

 are very similar to those of the Blackbird, and its nest, 

 generally built among stones and bushes, near the ground, 

 is constructed of the same materials with the nest of that 

 bird. Towards the end of their sojourn in Britain, Ring 

 Ouzels descend to the level countries, and are not unfre- 

 quently met with in gardens, whither they re23air for the 

 sake of feeding on fruit and berries. 



THE GOLDEI^ ORIOLE. 



ORIOLUS GALBULA. 



Plumage golden yellow ; lore, wings, and tail black, the tail yellow at the tip. 

 Female: Olive green above, greyish white tinged with yellow beneath, and 

 streaked with grejish brown ; wings dark brown, the quills edged with olive 

 grey ; tail olive, tinged with dark broAvn. Length ten inches. Eggs white with 

 a few isolated dark brown or black spots. 



This brilliant bird, resembling the Thrushes in form 

 and habits, but appareled in the plumage of the Tropics, 

 would seem to have no right to a place among British 

 birds, so little is its gorgeous livery in keej)ing with the 

 sober hues of our other feathered denizens. There can, 

 however, be no doubt of the propriety of placing it 

 among our visitors, though it comes but seldom and makes 

 no long stay. We can learn little of its habits, therefore, 

 from personal observation. Were it left unmolested, and 

 allowed to breed in our woods, it is probable that it would 

 return with its progeny, and become of comparatively com- 

 mon occurrence ; but though there are on record one or two 

 creditable excejDtions, when real naturalists have postponed 

 the glory of shooting and adding to their collection a 

 British sj)ecimen, to the j)leasure of watching its ways on 

 British soil, yet its biography is not to be written from 



