Orchard Oriole 145 



mowing-machine pass over their nests if he can 

 but locate them. By the time the hay is ready 

 for cutting in June, the active meadowlark 

 babies are usually running about through grassy 

 run-ways, but eggs of the second brood too 

 frequently, alas! meet a tragic end. 



ORCHARD ORIOLE 



Fortunately many other birds besides this 

 oriole prefer to live in orchards; otherwise 

 think how many worm-eaten apples there 

 would be! He usually has the kingbird for 

 company, and, strange to say, keeps on friendly 

 terms with that rather exclusive fellow; also 

 the robin, the bluebird, the cedar waxwing and 

 several other feathered neighbours who show 

 a preference for fruit trees when it is time to 

 nest. You may know the orchard oriole's 

 cradle by its excellent weaving. It is not a 

 deep, swinging pouch, like the Baltimore oriole's, 

 but a well-rounded cup, more like a vireo's, 

 formed of grasses of nearly even length and 

 width, cut green and woven with far more skill 

 and precision than a basket made by a boy or a 

 girl is apt to be. Look for it near the end of 

 a limb, ten to twenty feet up. It is by no 

 means easily seen when the green, grassy cup 

 matches the colour of the leaves. 



The mother oriole is so harmoniously dressed 



