ORCHARD ORIOLE. 213 



male, that it is seldom seen; and that while the males are flying 

 around and bewailing an approach to their nest, the females 

 keep aloof, watching every movement of the enemy in restless 

 but silent anxiety; it is less to be wondered at, I say, that two 

 birds of the same kind, but different in plumage, making their 

 appearance together at such times, should be taken for male and 

 female of the same nest, without doubt or examination, as from 

 that strong sympathy for each other's distress, which prevails 

 so universally among them at this season, it is difficult sometimes 

 to distinguish between the sufferer and the sympathizing neigh- 

 bour. 



The female of the Orchard Oriole, fig. 1, is six inches and a 

 half in length, and eleven inches in extent, the colour above is 

 a yellow olive, inclining to a brownish tint on the back; the 

 wings are dusky brown, lesser wing-coverts tipt with yellowish 

 white, greater coverts and secondaries exteriorly edged with 

 the same, primaries slightly so; tail rounded at the extremity, 

 the two exterior feathers three quarters of an inch shorter than 

 the middle ones; whole lower parts yellow; bill and legs light 

 blue, the former bent a little, very sharp pointed, and black to- 

 wards the extremity; iris of the eye hazel, pupil black. The 

 young male of the first season corresponds nearly with the above 

 description. But in the succeeding spring, he makes his appear- 

 ance with a large patch of black marking the front, lores and 

 throat, as represented in fig. 2. In this stage, too, the black 

 sometimes makes its appearance on the two middle feathers of 

 the tail; and slight stains of reddish are seen commencing on 

 the sides and belly. The rest of the plumage as in the female. 

 This continuing nearly the same, on the same bird during the 

 remainder of the season. At the same time other inviduals are 

 found as represented by fig. 3, which are at least birds of the 

 third summer. These are mottled with black and olive on the 

 upper parts of the back, and with reddish bay and yellow on 

 the belly, sides and vent, scattered in the most irregular manner, 

 not alike in any two individuals; and generally the two middle 

 feathers of the tail are black, and the others centred with the 



