THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 



About the middle of May, 

 when the leaves are all coining 

 out to see the bright sunshine, 

 you may sometimes see, among 

 the boughs, a bird of beautiful 

 black and orange plumage. 



He looivs like the Orchard 

 Oriole, whose picture you saw 

 in May " Birds." It is the Bal- 

 timore Oriole. He has other 

 names, such as ''Golden Robin," 

 "Fire Bird," ''Hang-nest." I 

 could tell you how he came to 

 be called Baltimore Oriole, but 

 would rather you'd ask your 

 teacher about it. She can tell 

 you all about it, and an interest- 

 ing story it is, I assure you. 



You see from the picture why 

 he is called " Hang-nest." 

 Maybe you can tell why he 

 builds his nest that way. 



The Orioles usually select for 

 their nest the longest and slen- 

 derest twigs, way out on the 

 highest branches of a large tree. 

 They like the elm best. From 

 this they hang their bag-like 

 nest. 



It must be interesting to watch 

 them build the nest, and it 

 requires lots of patience, too, 

 for it usually takes a week or 

 ten days to build it. 



They fasten both ends of a 

 string to the twigs between 

 which the nest is to hang. After 

 fastening many strings like this, 

 so as to cross one another, 

 they weave in other strings 

 crosswise, and this makes a sort 

 of bag or pouch. Then they put 

 in the lining. 



Of course, it swings and rocks 

 when the wind blows, and what 

 a nice cradle it must be for the 

 baby Orioles? 



Orioles like to visit orchards 

 and eat the bugs, beetles and 

 caterpillars that injure the trees 

 and fruit. 



There are few birds who do 

 more good in this way than 

 Orioles. 



Sometimes they eat grapes 

 from the vines and peck at fruit 

 on the trees. It is usually be- 

 cause they want a drink that 

 they do this. 



One good man who had a 

 large orchard and vineyard 

 placed pans of water in dif- 

 ferent places. Not only the 

 Orioles, but other birds, would 

 go to the pan for a drink, instead 

 of pecking at the fruit. Let us 

 think of this, and wdien we have 

 a chance, give the birds a drink 

 of water. They will repay us 

 with their sweetest songs. 



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