54 OUE NATIVE SONGSTERS. 



and it has been likened to the sounding of various 

 words by those who listened to it. The French 

 call the bird Pere Loinot^ and some say that its 

 song cleary articulates the words Oriot or Loriot. 

 French ornithologists go further still, and detect 

 in its notes the words Compere Loriot ( Gossip 

 Loriot); others say, that it cries '■' Louisat bonnes 

 merises,^^ (Louisat good black cherries;) and others 

 have arrived at the very climax of fancy, and 

 detect very decidedly, " C'est le compare Loriot qui 

 mange les cerises et laisse le noyaus (It is the 

 gossip Loriot who eats the cherries, and leaves 

 the kernel.) Tlie notes "Yo, yo, yo," are cer- 

 tainly repeated in its song, and Beclistein says, 

 that the call-note of the bird is well expressed 

 by the words "Ye puhlo." It can imitate tones 

 not natural to it. Thus, the last-named WTiter 

 mentions two golden orioles reared from the nest, 

 one of which, in addition to its own song, whistled 

 a minuet, wliile the other imitated a ilourish of 

 trumpets. It is a very distrustful bird, and not 

 easily reared in captivity, rarely living more than 

 three or four months in a cage. 



The food of the oriole consists of insects and 

 berries, and it makes some havoc among cherries, 



