150 



DA VET'S PRIMER 



THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 



Brilliancy of plumage, sweetness of song, and food 

 habits to which no exception can be taken are some of 

 the striking characteristics of the Baltimore oriole. In 

 summer it is found throughout the northern half of the 

 United States east of the Great Plains. Its nest com- 

 mands hardly less admiration than the beauty of its 

 plumage or the excellence of its song. Hanging from 

 the tip of the outermost bough of a stately elm, it is 

 almost inaccessible, and so strongly fastened as to bid 

 defiance to the elements. 



Observation both in the field and laboratory shows 

 that caterpillars constitute the largest item of the fare 

 of the oriole. In 202 stomachs they formed 34 per 

 cent of the food. They are eaten in varying quantities 



BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 



