The Orchard Oriole 47 



The older authors christened him the 'spurious,' or inferior Baltimore bird, and 

 from this lias come his specific name spurt us. Then, too, he is a rather rare 

 bird in the northeastern United States, where most of our bird biographers have 

 pursued their studies, and he has consequently figured but little in literature and 

 is less known than his more brilliant relative. To those who have had the good 

 fortune to know him well, however, he is none the less attractive; while, owing 

 to his preference for the vicinity of man's abode, he is usually associated in our 

 mind with fond recollections. 



The old house with its cluster of farm buildings, the rows of gnarled and 

 lichen-covered trunks of the apple trees, their branches laden with green fruit, 

 the warm sunshine of early summer and the song of the Orchard Oriole — all 

 are ever closely intermingled in my memory. 



Questions for Teachers and Students 



Describe the call-notes and song of the Orchard Oriole. How do they compare with 

 those of the Baltimore Oriole? Where have you found the Orchard Oriole? On what 

 have you seen it feeding? What in general is the nature of its food? Is it a beneficial 

 species ? Describe the Orchard Oriole's nest and eggs. Have you ever found it nesting 

 in the same tree with other birds? Describe the plumage of the adult male; of the adult 

 female; of the young male. How is the change from one plumage to another accom- 

 plished? At what age is the full chestnut and black plumage acquired? What is the 

 range in summer of the Orchard Oriole? Where does it winter? When does it migrate? 



