THE GOLDEN ORIOLE 153 



wonderful way in which the nesting material is firmly and artistically 

 fastened to the boughs must be seen to be appreciated. (See 

 PL 60.) 



The eggs are incubated for a period of fourteen or fifteen days 

 by the hen, who is relieved for a time by the cock during the after- 

 noon, while she goes off to feed, according to Naumann. When the 

 young are hatched the male ceases to whistle, and both devote them- 

 selves to supplying food for their young brood. 



Harting describes the young when about three days old as almost 

 naked, the skin of an orange or yellowish flesh-colour, very sparsely 

 flecked with yellow down. At this period they are fed by the old 

 birds chiefly on caterpillars, at first at long intervals, but afterwards 

 more frequently, and the hen broods over them not only during the 

 night, but also during the cooler hours of the day. After seven or 

 eight days the young begin to utter a weak note when fed, and show 

 their satisfaction by fluttering their wings. When the hen arrives 

 with a beakful of insects and the young are not hungry, she broods 

 over them for a time, keeping the food in her bill until they show 

 signs of hunger. As is the case with many birds, the evacuations 

 of the young are at once swallowed by the parent. The young grow 

 rapidly, but do not leave the nest till nearly fully fledged, and are 

 soon able to feed themselves. 



By the time the young are fledging the cherries have ripened, and 

 form a considerable portion of their food. Dr. Gromier has found by 

 analysis of the contents of the stomachs of the young that they are 

 fed on cherries, insects, and small mollusca with the shells broken up 

 small. 



If the first clutch of eggs (which almost invariably consists of four 

 or five eggs, and very rarely of six) is taken, a second is laid, but only 

 one brood is reared in the year. The late H. L. Saxby, who was for 

 some time resident in Belgium, and was a careful and accurate 

 observer, made the surprising statement that he had seen unfledged 

 young both in June and in August, and thought it probable that two 



VOL. II. U 



