BIRDS OF GUERNSEY. 29 



countries, indeed, doing a deal of damage amongst 

 the vineyards. This damage to grapes would not, 

 however, be much felt in Guernsey, as all the 

 grapes are protected by orchard-houses. But 

 though the grapes are protected, and most, if not 

 all, the cherry orchards cut down, still there is 

 plenty of unprotected fruit in Guernsey to tempt 

 the Golden Oriole to remain in the Islands, and to 

 bring the wrath and the gun of the gardener both 

 to bear upon him when he is there. This, however, 

 only shows that from the time spoken of by Mr. 

 Metivier down to the present time very few Golden 

 Orioles could have visited Guernsey, and still fewer 

 remained to breed; for what with their fruit-eating 

 propensities and their bright plumage, hardly a 

 bird could have escaped being shot and subsequently 

 making its appearance in the bird- staffers' windows, 

 and affording a subject for a notice in the ' Star,' 

 or some other paper. I think therefore, on the 

 whole, that though Guernsey still affords many 

 temptations to the Golden Oriole, and is sufficiently 

 well-wooded to afford shelter to suit its shy and 

 suspicious habits, yet for some reason or other the 

 bird has not visited the Island of late years even as 

 an accidental visitant, or, if so, very rarely. 



The Golden Oriole is mentioned in Professor 

 Ansted's list, and marked as having occurrred in 

 Guernsey and Sark, but nothing more is said about 

 the bird. Probably Guernsey was mentioned as a 



