192 NEWS FROM THE BIRDS. 



latter were, they failed not to make their pres- 

 ence known by their cheerful piping. 



One evening I was greatly puzzled by the 

 strange calling — it was half whistle, half call — 

 of a bird down the sloj^e from Bragg's tower. 

 Never had I heard a bird call like that. Ex- 

 pecting to find some rare sjDecies, I approached 

 the jolly piper on tiptoe, so to speak, when, 

 lo ! it turned out to be only a Baltimore oriole, 

 one of my best-known birds. I am aware that 

 Master Oriole is a vocal trickster, but I never 

 expected an old friend to lead me so completely 

 astray. 



