304 ICTERID^E : AMERICAN STARLINGS. 



The Orchard Oriole is rather a more southerly bird 

 than its brilliant relative, at any rate not so common 

 toward the limit of its distribution. It belongs to the 

 Carolinian and Alleghanian, not the Canadian Fauna, 

 and is more abundant in the valley of the Connecticut 

 River than in other parts of New England. It scarcely 

 reaches our southern border before May, and it is the 

 middle of that month before the birds are generally 

 distributed. The return movement occurs at the end 

 of summer or very soon afterward. Massachusetts 

 may be considered the usual and proper northern limit 

 of the species, though it is occasionally seen in the 

 States beyond. 



BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 

 ICTERUS GALBULA (L. 9 1758) Coues. 



Chars. Male : Head, neck, and back, black ; rump, upper tail- 

 coverts, most of the tail-feathers, and under parts, orange ; mid- 

 dle tail-feathers black ; wings black ; the middle and greater 

 coverts and inner quills edged and tipped with white ; bill and 

 feet blue-black. Length, 7.50-8.00 ; wing, 3.60 ; tail, 3.00. Fe- 

 male : Smaller and paler ; black wanting, or much obscured by 

 olive. Young resemble the female. 



This is one of New England's beauties of bird-life, 

 famous alike for its flash of color, its assiduity in 

 singing, and its architectural ability. The " Golden 

 Robin," "Fire-bird," or" Hang-nest," as it is indiffer- 

 ently called, comes to us in great numbers during the 

 first and second week in May, and soon spreads over 

 nearly all the country, growing rarer, however, as 

 it proceeds north of Massachusetts, and wanting in 



