Baltimore Oriole. 18^ 



passed us, and these brilliant and vivacious songsters have 

 gone from us for another year, leaving our minds filled 

 with regret that such partings must follow the annual 

 revolution of the seasons. 



The economical relations of the Baltimore oriole in its 

 food-habits have not been determined as fully as desired. 

 Numerous observers attest that it feeds with relish on 

 destructive caterpillars, pecking fearlessly into their webs 

 when it seeks them. In his "Birds of Michigan," Prof. 

 A. J. Cook states that he has seen this oriole eat the young 

 bark lice from linden trees in the spring, and has seen 

 it driven away by the bees and wasps that came for the 

 honey-dew. It frequently exhibits a fondness for the del- 

 icate portions of the pea blossom. In this connection, 

 Eev. J. H. Langille, in his " Our Birds in Their Haunts," 

 thus writes of an incident of his observation : "The Balti- 

 more is a great devourer of insects; but, like other birds 

 of that kind of diet, he will occasionally affect a change. 

 Once, after a spring shower, when the peach-trees were in 

 bloom, a beautiful male lit in one just against a window. 

 All unconscious of my presence, though I was scarcely 

 more than two feet from him, he began moving up and 

 down the limbs in that gliding, athletic manner peculiar 

 to himself, ever and anon inserting his bill into the cup- 

 like calyx of the blossoms. Could he be drinking the 

 newly-fallen raindrops? Scarcely; for he did not raise 

 his head to swallow. Looking a little more closelj-, I saw 

 that he was eating the stamens. Let not the fruit-grower 

 be alarmed, however, for nature has provided many more 

 blossoms than is necessary for a good crop. It may be 

 that the Baltimore issimply thinning them to advantage." 

 It is highly probable, from the evidence at hand, that 

 while the oriole may seem to cause occasional slight loss 

 to the gardener, its admitted services in the destruction of 

 insect pests far overbalance any apparent injury it may 

 do, rendering it worthy of ample protection and immunity. 



There is a wonderful variation in the notes of different 

 individuals of this species, and also in the notes of the 

 same individual. To the observant ornithologist with 

 nice discrimination of hearing, the notes of any individ- 

 ual frequently heard are sufficient to distinguish it from 



