The Baltimore Oriole 161 



back, light brownish yellow, brightest on the rump; lower 

 parts duller than his. The bill of this oriole is well propor- 

 tioned, sharp as a needle and is very useful as a weapon of de- 

 fense, and well adopted to taking food and to the weaving of 

 her nest. 



"Of all the weavers that I know, 



The oriole is the best; 

 High on the branches of the tree 

 She hangs her nest." 



The nest is wonderfully made and when completed is one 

 of our finest specimens of bird architecture. It is a pensile 

 nest, that is, it is in the form of a long pouch and usually sus- 

 pended from the extremities of the limbs of the tree upon 

 which it is found. Trees with long, drooping branches, such 

 as the elm or willow are preferred for this purpose. The ma- 

 terials used for the frame work of the nest consist principally 

 of plant fibre such as that of the hemp and milkweed, and 

 often, when located near our habitations, of horsehair, bits of 

 twine, yarn, strips of grapevine, bark, etc. I have several of 

 these nests, most of them, having been sent to me by my 

 friend, Mr. Max Munte. One of them is an unfinished nest 

 and is made entirely of horse hair. Evidently it is but the 

 warp of the nest without the woof. Another is like it except 

 that being a finished nest it has the woof woven into the warp 

 and this consists entirely of plant fibres. Another has the 

 same warp but a woof of twine and plant fibres. As I have 

 said the nest is usually suspended to the extremities of slen- 

 der branches of trees and the elm is one of their favorite trees. 

 Across the street from Elmhurst is one of these trees, and for 

 years a pair of orioles have suspended their nest from its 

 drooping branches, brooded and reared their young. At Buz- 

 zard's Roost, favorite places for their nests are the out- 

 stretched limbs which overhang Fall Creek. Occasionally 

 these birds suspend their nests in the limbs of an erect tree, 

 preferably the maple, like that in the illustration. I have one 

 of these in my collection which was sent to me by Dr. Carl- 

 ton Evans, an Ohio friend. It is a fac-simile of that in the il- 

 lustration, except that it is constructed entirely of twine and 

 yarn: The eggs are four to six in number, and of a very pale 



