Orchard Oriole. 79 



twigs in the outer part of an apple tree. Kestlessly 

 searohing amid the foliage for lurking tidbits, he repeat- 

 edly gives expression to his satisfaction by executing bis 

 hurried, gushing measures. 



As an architect and builder the orchard oriole deserves 

 no less commendation than the more commonly praised 

 Baltimore oriole. Though its nest is not so long and 

 pendulous as the wind-swayed pouch of the latter, and 

 contains little variety in the list of materials used, its 

 neatly woven walls and handsomely rounded form show 

 the work of a master hand, and claim a place of honor 

 beside the best efforts of the better known oriole. The 

 nest is not often situated in the drooping twigs in the 

 lower part of the tree, especially when the tree selected is 

 in the orchard. The commonest site marks about one- 

 third of the space from the top to the bottom of the foliage, 

 or is among branches whose extremities are about one- 

 third of the distance from the apex of the tree to its base, 

 considering the tree a cone. The grassy tenement is 

 commonly suspended between upright twigs, attached by 

 its brim, so that it sways gently at its base, but does not 

 swing as easily as the nest of the Baltimore oriole. It has 

 the shape of a sphere between four and five inches in 

 diameter, with the upper fourth removed. Its walls are 

 constructed almost entirely of a sort of long wiry grass, 

 woven in and out in a most ingenious manner. The grass 

 selected has a peculiar property of retaining its greenness 

 for a long period, though it becomes somewhat bleached 

 in time; hence the affair is rather diificult to discover 

 among the fresh foliage of the tree. Our little friend en- 

 joys a soft bed, however, and sometimes there are found 

 small bits of downy or cottony material woven here and 

 there in the structure, though there is no regularity in the 

 disposition of this substance. This oriole does not exhibit 

 the variations in its work that are noted in the nests of 

 the Baltimore oriole. The complement of eggs consists of 

 four, five, and sometimes six, and the eggs have a bluish - 

 white ground, with irregular spots, blotches, and lines of 

 various shades of brown. Usually the markings are 

 thin and sparse, developing in prominence about the 

 larger end. The eggs measure from .70 to .85 of an inch 

 in length, and from .50 to .62 in width. 



