AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 85 



18711 several times saw one of these birds about the 

 lawn at Lilford in the late summer, and in 1879 

 was told of a bird that had been seen two or three 

 times near the house in August and September, 

 which, I feel convinced, must have been a female or 

 young male of this species. I was informed by Miss 

 A. Eden that in the last week of September 1883, 

 she saw " a brilliant golden and black bird, about the 

 size of a thrush," fly from a yew tree in the garden 

 at Boughton House, Kettering, and Mr. G. M. 

 Edmonds assures me that a bird answering to the 

 above description was frequently seen by him and by 

 his son, in and about Oundle, during the summer of 

 1892. The male Golden Oriole soon makes his 

 presence known on his arrival in the spring by his 

 clear, flute-like call, difficult to describe, but not 

 particularly difficult to imitate to a certain extent, 

 though the bird himself is rarely to be deceived by 

 a human imitator. The Oriole has also a harsh, 

 croaking note, often heard in the pairing-season, 

 when the male is in pursuit of the female, or ad- 

 justing his differences with others of his own sex. 

 These birds especially affect the outskirts of woods in 

 the neighbourhood of streams, and generally frequent 

 the thickest foliage they can find. They will permit 

 a very near approach when they consider themselves 

 well concealed, and, indeed, are with difficulty forced 

 to fly from a secure hiding-place. I believe the 

 principal food of the Golden Oriole to consist, in the 

 spring and early summer months, of various cater- 

 pillars, grubs, and small earthworms ; later in the 

 year they seem to take to a fruit diet, and in the 

 Ionian Islands, where they are abundant at the time 

 of the autumnal migration, play havoc amongst the 



