1908] BIRDS. 31 



W. Va. Dist. Very common in cultivated sections. Sometimes 

 spends the winter here. 



Nest Nest made of grasses and placed on the ground. Mr. 

 Frank M. Chapman speaks of the nest as being very hard to find. 

 Four to six spotted eggs. 



Food Insects and seeds. 



506. Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius). Male, female, and 

 young. The male does not have its rich chestnut and black colors 

 till the third year. About as common as the Baltimore Oriole, 

 but not so often seen. As the name implies, it is found about 

 orchard trees. 



Geog. Dist. Eastern United States, as far north as New England. 



W. Va. Dist Generally distributed throughout the state where 

 the altitude is under 2,000 ft. 



Nest Breeds in W. Va. wherever found. I have found a great 

 many nests of this species in fruit trees in Wood, Upshur and Lewis 

 Counties. Look out for the song of this accomplished musician. 



Food Insects. 



507. Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula). A pair. Named for 

 Lord Baltimore who is said to have dressed in orange and black. 

 Chapman says, "Sometimes Nature, as if to remind us of the rich- 

 ness of her stores, sends from the tropics a gaily attired bird who 

 seems quite out of place among the more soberly clad inhabitants 

 of northern climes. The genus Icterus contains nearly forty 

 species, all more or less brightly dressed in orange, yellow, an-1 

 black, but not one is more beautiful than our Baltimore Oriole." 

 Known by almost every one who is at all familiar with our birds. 



Geog. Dist. Eastern United States as far north as Ontario and 

 Manitoba. 



W. Va. Dist. Very common outside the mountain districts. 



Nest Pensile, in fruit or shade trees. Eggs, four to six. Very 

 common breeder in mast parts of the state. 



Food Destroys some fruit. 83 per cent of the oriole's food is 

 animal matter, caterpillars forming 34 per cent of the whole. '"It 

 may be ranked as one of the chief friends of the orchardist and 

 forester. ' ' ( Forbush ) . 



509. Rusty Blackbird (EupJiagus carolinus.) Male and female. 

 This is only a transient visitant in this state, and is less known 

 than any of the other blackbirds that come to West Virginia. 



