SOME BIRDS THAT COME IN MAY 417 
rels close by, or that the red thread had been a subject 
for domestic criticism and dissension, we may not know. 
‘“‘ Be this as it may, inspite of the bright hues of the parent 
birds and the hanging shape of the nest that is never 
concealed by a branch upon which it is saddled, like the 
home of so many birds, an Oriole’s nest is exceedingly 
difficult to locate unless one has noticed the trips to and 
fro in the building process; but once the half-dozen white, 
darkly etched and spotted eggs it contains hatch out, the 
vociferous youngsters at once call attention to the spot 
and make their whereabouts known, in spite of sky cradle 
and carefully adjusted leaf umbrellas. 
“Tf their parents bring them food, they squeal (yes, that 
is the only word for it) ; if they are left alone, they do like- 
wise. Their baby voices can be heard above the wind, 
and it is only either at night or during a heavy shower, 
when a parent would naturally be supposed to be upon the 
nest, that they are silent. 
“As an adult, the Oriole lives on rather mixed diet and 
has a great love of honey; but of course as a parent he 
is, with his sharp beak, a great provider of animal food for 
his home, and to his credit must be placed a vast number 
of injurious tree-top insects that escape the notice of less 
agile birds. 
““Complaints are frequently heard of his propensity for 
opening pods and eating young peas, piercing the throats 
of trumpet-shaped flowers for the honey, and in the 
autumn, before the southward migration, siphoning grape 
and plum juice by means of this same slender, pointed 
bill. 
“‘Personally, I have never lost peas through his appetite 
25 
