TURDID4E. 135 



the black aud yellow of the tail distributed as in 0. Auratua, 

 the two centre feathers being dark green-yellow ; irids red. 

 Length, 9" 6'" ; wing, 5" 8'"; tail,- 4" 4'". 



This is the only species of oriole that builds in South Africa. It is 

 not uncommon in the forests of the Knysna, and along the south-east 

 coast of the colony in general. Le Vaillant met with it in the same 

 locality, and states that its nest is placed in very high trees, and com- 

 posed of twigs and fibres, covered with moss, and lined with feathers. 

 Eggs four, of a dirty white colour, with brown blotches. 



On the left bank of the Keurboom's River, which falls into Pletten- 

 berg's Bay, about half a mile from where the mountains narrow down 

 to the river, there is a lovely kloof, which opens to the water's edge, 

 and stretches back inland for about a couple of miles. A clear running 

 stream flows through the centre of it, and on each side rocky, inac- 

 cessible precipices hem in a splendid forest. In this lovely spot, the 

 silence was only broken by the babbling brook and the loud pipe of the 

 oriole, which frequented the summits of the gigantic yellowwood trees, 

 whose mighty heads, hung with dense masses of a grey moss, seemed, 

 like vegetable Titans, to watch over the solitude around them. Think- 

 ing this a very paradise for birds and game, I twice visited it ; but, 

 with the exception of the oriole, the little black swallow (H, Holome- 

 las), and the loury (Corythaix Persa), not a creature was to be seen. 



255. OrlolUS Galbula, Linn. ; PL Enl. 26 ; The 

 Golden Oriole, Bewick's Brit. Birds, Vol. 1, p. 96. 



ENTIRELY yellow, with a shade of green on the lower portion 

 of the back ; a black patch extends from the bill to the eye ; 

 wings black, with a yellow patch near the centre of the 

 outside edge when closed, and the feathers more or less edged 

 and tipped with white ; two centre tail-feathers black ; the 

 bases greenish ; the rest black with bright yellow tips, the 

 dimensions of the yellow increasing towards the outer fea- 

 thers ; bill red ; feet black. Length, 9" ; wing, 5" 9'" ; 

 tail, 3". 



The 9 of all our orioles are greenish, in the place of being 

 yellow, and all the colours are duller. 



Inhabits South Africa, teste Hartlaub, Orn. W. Af., p. 80. Mr. 

 Andersson obtained it in DamaralancL; Mr. Ayres in Natal. 



256. OriolUS AuratUS, Vieil.; Nat. Lib., Vol. 8, 

 p. 33; Le Loriodor, Le Vail., PL 260; 0. Bicolor, 

 Teinm. ; T. Flavus, Gmel. ; Guv., Vol. 6., p. 397. 



GENERAL colour of male, rich golden-yellow ; eye stripe 

 black, the eye being in the centre ; wing- feathers black, 

 bordered with yellow ; tail black ; the two centre feathers 

 just tipped with yellow ; the next pair with more yellow ; 



