28 BIRDS OF GUERNSEY. 



88th or 89th year. He told me he was about 

 thirteen when he went to reside with his relations, 

 the Guilles, at St. George. There was then a great 

 deal of old timber about the place and a long 

 avenue of oaks, besides three large cherry orchards. 

 One day he was startled by the sight of a male 

 Oriole. He had never seen the bird before. Whether 

 it was that one that was killed or another in a 

 subsequent year I don't know, but he declares that 

 for several years afterwards they were seen in the 

 oak trees and among the cherries, and that he has 

 not the least doubt but that they bred there. One 

 day an old French gentleman of the name of 

 De 1'Huiller from the South of France, an emigrant, 

 noticed the birds and made the remark ' Ah ! 

 vous avez des loriots ici ; nous en avons beaucoup 

 chez nous, ils sont grands gobeurs de cerises.' It 

 would appear from this that cherries are a favourite 

 food with this bird, and the presence of cherry 

 orchards would account for their settling down at 

 St. George. I believe they are said to be very shy, 

 and the absence of wood would account for their 

 not being seen in the present day." 



I have no doubt that Mr. MacCulloch is right 

 that the cherry orchards, to say nothing of other 

 fruit trees, tempted the Golden Orioles to remain to 

 breed in the Island, for they are " grand gobeurs " 

 not only of " cerises," but of many other sorts of 

 fruit, particularly of grapes and figs in grape 



