ICTERID^ 



scrawled chietly arouiul large ciul with browns ami 

 purpk-. 



Distribution. — Eastern United States anil whole ol 

 Mexico; breeding from tlie Gull coast north to Con- 

 necticut, southern New York, southern Ontario, south- 

 ern Michigan (south of 43"), southern Wisconsin, 

 central Minnesota, and southern North Dakota, but oc- 



A much rarer bird with £;c'nerally duller plum- 

 age, with a fainter, though more elaborate and 

 really more beautiful, song, a nest which is more 

 like that of other birds, and decidedly retiring 

 manners, the Orchard Oriole naturally has fewer 



Photo by H. K. Job 



YOUNG ORCHARD ORIOLES 



admirers and friends than has the Baltimore. 

 Catesby called it the Bastard Baltimore. Never- 

 theless he is a handsome and interesting bird, and 

 always adorns the orchards, where, as his nanu- 

 implies, he is likely to be found. 



There is as much ditterence between the nests 

 of these two birds as there is in the appearance 

 of the birds themselves. Unlike the Baltimore, 

 the Orchard species makes no use of twine — 

 unless it be by accident — but follows closely the 

 habit of its ancestors and employs almost exclu- 

 sively green grass blades and stalks, tightl\- and 

 skillfully woven into a shallower pouch than 

 the Baltimore's nest, but beautiful in color, pro- 

 portions, and finish. \\'ilson recorded his care- 

 ful examination of one of these nests in which 

 he found a grass-strand thirteen inches long, that 

 had been woven through and through the mass 

 thirty-four times. Built of this material, the 

 nest is almost invisible until the grass dries and 

 turns yellow, which, of course, makes it exceed- 

 ingly conspicuous among the green leaves and 

 usually at just about the time when it contains 

 the helpless young. That the birds ha\'e not 

 learned by experience to correct this mistake, 



curring irregularly or casually as far nortli as southern 

 New Brunswick. Maine, and Vermont; west across 

 the Great I'lains; south in winter over whole of Mexico 

 and Central America to northern Colombia; occasional 

 in southern Florida and Cuba in spring migration. 

 Southern limit of breeding range unknown, but prolj- 

 ably extending over pari of Mexico. 



mu.it be a poser to those who like to believe in 

 the inerrancy of instinct and the subtlety which 

 the wild creatures are supposed to employ in 

 self-protection. As a matter of fact, this is only 

 one of the many blunders which blind instinct 

 continually makes. 



W'itmer Stone records the interesting obser- 

 vation that this Oriole often nests in the same 

 tree with the Kingbird, who is also fond of the 

 apple orchards as a nesting site. " For some rea- 

 son or other," remarks Mr. Stone, " the i)Ugna- 

 cious Flycatcher, who usually drives all other 

 birds Irom the vicinity of his nest-tree, seems 

 able to live on the best of terms with the modest 

 Orchard Oriole." 



An unusual nesting site for an Orchard 

 Oriole has been reported from Portland, Conn. ; 

 this particular pair had their home fortv feet 

 from the ground in an elm. 



The Orchard Oriole seldom visits the ground. 

 .\mong the blossoms at the end of a branch 

 is he most often seen searching for the in- 

 sects of which his food mainly consists. I'lant- 

 lice, small caterpillars, the flies and wasps found 

 about blossoms are his favorite foods. He also 



I'liuLu by li, K. Ji'l, Courtesy of Outint^ Pub. Co. 



NEST OF ORCHARD ORIOLE 



With bill of young projecting 



feeds on wild fruits, but very sparingly. It has 

 been observed that when the young are able to 

 leave the nest the entire family will adjourn to 

 cornfields where they will feed upon the insect 

 enemies of the corn. 



