BIRDS OF NEW YORK 237 



and tail fuscous edged with whitish. Female: Grayish olive green; wing 

 coverts tipped with whitish; tail bright olive green; under parts dingy 

 yellow. Male of the first year: Similar to female but browner. Male second 

 year: Similar but with occasional patches of chestnut on the under parts. 

 Length o* 7.25 inches, 9 6.5; extent 10.35; wing 2.9-3.25; tail 2.7-3.2; 

 tarsus .88; bill .7. 



Distribution. The Orchard oriole inhabits eastern North America 

 from North Dakota, Wisconsin, southern Ontario and coastal Massachu- 

 setts to Texas and the gulf coast, and winters from southern Mexico to 

 northwestern South America. In New York it is commonest in the 

 vicinity of New York City, and in the lower Hudson valley, but is fairly 

 common as far north as Albany and also on Long Island as far east as 

 Bellport; also in the Delaware valley; but is decidedly uncommon in 

 western New York although breeding records occur for several stations. 

 On Staten Island and in the lower Hudson valley this species arrives from 

 the 2d to the loth of May and departs again from the 1st to the I7th of 

 September, the breeding dates ranging from May 25 to June 20. In the 

 interior of the State records of its breeding are as follows: Holley, 1876, 

 Possun, Auk, 16:195; Canandaigua, 1883, E. J. Durand; Granville, 1886, 

 F. T. Pember; Hamilton, May 26, 1899,0. C. Embody; Montezuma, May 

 27, 1899, Burdette Wright; Saratoga, June n, 1810, A. S. Brower; Chau- 

 tauqua county, 1902, Sarah Waite; Niagara county, Davison; Brockport, 

 David Bruce; Orleans county, Davison; Green Island, Parks, June 2, 

 1880; Esopus-on-the-Hudson, Burroughs; Orleans county, June 1904, E. H. 

 Short; Auburn, 1885, F. S. Wright. Beside these breeding records there 

 are numerous reports of individuals taken, the northernmost among my 

 notes being from North Creek and Port Henry, June 22, and July 5, 1905, 

 by Will Richard. It will thus be seen that this species at least as far as 

 its distribution in New York State would indicate, is nearly confined to 

 the Carolinian faunal area as a breeding species, rarely going beyond 

 this into the lower portions of the Alleghanian zone. The favorite haunts 

 of this species are orchards, shade trees and leafy tangles on the hillside 

 and along a stream. The nest is usually placed nearer the ground than 

 that of the Baltimore oriole, and is not so bag-shaped, but hangs only 



