XXI 
THE ORIOLE BRANCH 
(Icteride) — Continued 
Ir seems odd to put. the gay orioles into the 
Blackbird Family, especially as they don’t live 
on the ground either; but that’s where they be- 
long in the books. Orioles live in the trees, and 
are fine singers. They have sharp-pointed bills, 
suitable for picking tiny insects out of fruit 
blossoms. They have some of the family color, 
black, but more orange color, or chestnut red, or 
yellow. They all make beautiful nests. 
The Baltimore oriole is all over the Kast, the 
orchard oriole in the South, and the Arizona 
hooded oriole in the West. 
The BatrimorE OrrioLz, who has several 
other names, such as fire-bird, golden robin, and 
hang-nest, is a very showy bird, in bright orange 
and black. He has a fine though short song. 
His mate is yellow, and brown instead of black, 
and has a sweet song of her own. Both of them 
can scold as well as any birds I know. 
