900 Keport of State Geologist. 



fork of a limb. The color of the nest renders it inconspicuous. One 

 egg is laid daily. Incubation lasts about twelve days, and it was 

 Major Bendire's opinion that this was performed exclusively by the 

 female. One brood only seems to be raised each year. 



During the spring and early summer, the old birds have lived upon 

 the insects in the orchard. Next, upon such food they feed their 

 ever-hungry young, and when they leave the nest the whole family 

 goes into the cornfield to feast upon the insect enemies of the corn. 



No bird deserves better treatment by the orchard man and farmer. 

 Except a few berries and fruit blossoms, almost their entire food seems 

 to be injurious insects. These include green worms, hairless cater- 

 pillars, beetles, flies, cabbage worms and plant lice. 



They are very destructive to insects that feed upon the foliage of 

 trees, berries, bushes and grape-vines; among the latter they use their 

 sharp bills to destroy the cocoons wrapped within the leaves. 



It has a loud, rattling call, which ]\[r. Nehrling expresses by 

 "tarrrrrrr," besides a sprightly song, often partly sung on the wing. 

 The song grows less frequent in late June, and seldom is heard in the 

 Whitewater "Valley after early July — July 9, 1886. 



They leave early and almost unnoticed. Often but few are to be 

 found early in August. The last of the year was reported from Sedan, 

 August 24, 1892; Plymouth, Mich., August 18, 1894; Bicknell, August 

 30, 1895, and July 27, 1896; Vermillion County, August 28, 1897. 



Subgenus Yphantks Vieillot. 

 / 



^193. (507). Icterus galbula (Linn.). 



Baltimore Oriole. 



Male. — Head and neck all around, and back, black; rump, upper tail 

 coverts, lesser wing coverts, most of the tail feathers and all the 

 under parts from the throat, fiery orange, but of varying intensity, 

 according to age and season; middle tail feathers, black; the mid- 

 dle and greater coverts and inner quills, more or less edged 

 and tipped with white, but the white on the coverts not form- 

 ing a continuous patch; bill and feet, blue-black. Female. — Smaller, 

 paler; the black obscured by olive, or sometimes entirely wanting. 

 Young. — Similar to female, but wanting black on throat and head. 



Length, 7.00-8.15; wing, 3.50-3.90; tail, 2.85-3.35. 



Range. — America, from Colombia to Nova Scotia and Saskatche- 

 wan; west to Rocky ^fountains: casual to Hudson Bay and Keewatin; 

 accidental in Cuba and Shetland Islands. Breeds from Gulf of Mex- 

 ico, northward. Winters south of United States. 



