THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 63 



longest dried filaments of moss, with the aid of 

 bill and claws, he fastens the one end to a twig, 

 with as much art as a sailor, and then secures 

 the other a few inches off, leaving the thread 

 floating in the air like a swing, the curve of 

 which is, perhaps, seven or eight inches from 

 »he branches to which it is suspended. The 

 Baltimore oriole is thus frequently called tlie 

 "hanging bird," from the peculiarity of its 

 nest. " Much difference is distinguishable in these 

 structures; some, from their solidity and ele- 

 gance, showing superior skill in the craftsmen, 

 while others, more slovenly, have their habi- 

 tations ill contrived. The women in the country 

 are under the necessity of narrowly watching 

 their thread, and the farmer of securing his 

 young grafts, as the bird frequently carries off 

 both."* 



The oriole's helpmate then comes to his as- 

 sistance, and, after inspecting the work her com- 

 panion has done, commences her labours by 

 placing some fresh threads of a fibrous substance 

 in a contrary direction, thus forming a graceful 

 fabric of network, woven so firmly that no 

 tempest ever can carry away the nest, without 

 breaking the branch also. As if aware of the 

 heat which must in those regions shortly ensue, 



* Wilson's American Ornithology. 



