242 ORIOLE INCOMPATIBILITY. 



cage was closely wrapped in a thick, warm cover, 

 and before this was taken off in the morning- 1 

 began to hear low murmurs from the orioles. 

 One spoke in a complaining tone, as if it said, 

 " Why do you treat me thus ? " and the other 

 uttered a regular oriole " chur-r-r." In time the 

 sounds grew louder, and I noticed in the queru- 

 lous tone great variety of pitch, inflection, and 

 duration of note, accompanied often by a hop- 

 ping back and forth, as if the listener were in- 

 attentive. Wishing to see as well as hear this 

 little domestic drama, I took care the next night 

 to arrange the covering in such a way that I 

 could peep in without disturbing it. Then I saw 

 the lordly Baltimore on the middle perch, lean- 

 ing over and looking at his mate on the floor. 

 He addressed her in a tone so low that it was 

 scarcely audible at the distance of one foot, and 

 she replied in the fretful voice I have spoken of. 

 Then he began hopping from perch to perch, 

 occasionally pausing to take his part in the con- 

 versation, which was kept up till they saw me. 



Not all the time of the beautiful orioles was 

 passed in contentions ; once having placed them- 

 selves on what they considered their proper 

 footing in the family, they had leisure for other 

 things. No more entertaining birds ever lived 

 in the room ; full of intelligent curiosity as they 

 were, and industriously studying out the idio- 



