580 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA THOMPSON. 



168. Icterus spurius. Orchard Oriole. 



One male specimeu, Juue G, 1873, at Pembina, the ouly locality where 

 observed (Coues). 



169. Icterus galbula. Baltimore Oriole. 



Common snmmer resident of open woodlands in the sontb and west. 

 Abnudant at Pembina; breeding; the ouly locality where found along 

 the line (Coues). Winnipeg: Summer resident; abundant; found not 

 quite so far north as the flose-breasted Grosbeak (IJine). Oak Point: 

 1884, arrived May 25; 1885, first seen, one, on May 10; is common and 

 breeds here (Small). Ossowa: Common; breeding; 1885, first seen, 

 two, on May 15; next seen on May 17; became common on May 19 

 (Wagner). Portage la Prairie: Common summer resident; arrives about 

 May 20; in 1881, first seen, May 27 (Nash). Carberry: Common sum- 

 mer resident (Thompson). Very common in woods around Lake Mani- 

 toba (Macoun). Shell Eiver: 1885, first seen, one male, on May 16; 

 next seen, four, on IMay 18; is common here all summer and breeds 

 (Calcutt). Qu'Appelle: Common summer resident; breeds; arrives 

 May 18 (Guernsey). 



On June 25, 1882, on the north bank of the eastern slough, I found 

 a Baltimore Oriole's nest in an oak tree, about 10 feet high. As I was 

 climbing the tree the female bird flitted about, uttering a loud, harsh 

 chatter; as she often came close to my head 1 had good opportunity of 

 viewing her graceful form and rich yellow plumage, and I thought lier 

 the most beautiful bird I had ever seen, until a moment later her splen- 

 did mate flashed into view on an adjoining bough, and stood there 

 blazing in the sun. He was much less bold than his mate, and did not 

 chatter in Ihe same way, but uttered a loud ^^puhec^' like a fragment of 

 his song. 



This nest was about 4 inches deep. It was formed of the outer bark 

 of the Aselepias, and so thoroughly interwoven and " darned" that the 

 fabric was like a thick warm felt. It was remarkably strong, too, and 

 with a view to testing it in this particular I brought it home with the 

 branch that bore it, and, having hung to it a pail by a band across the 

 upper surface, proceeded to add weight. Fifteen pounds was gradually 

 added without its showing any signs ofbreaking, but at the seventeenth 

 the weight slipped to one side, and being thrown upon but one of the fas- 

 tenings, broke it. I then procured another nest, an old one of the same 

 material, and tried it successively with 15, 20, 25, 27 pounds, and still 

 it held together; 29 and 30 were reached without breakage, but at 31 

 it began to give, and after a few seconds the weight tore through the 

 fabric, without, however, injuring the fastenings at the top. 



On October 19 found an old nest of an oriole down by the slough. 

 It was woven of strips of Aselepias bark and suspended from four or 

 five twigs. I made a careful test of its strength and found that it bore 



