THE ORCHARD ORIOLE, OR BOB-O'-LINK. 145 



A CLOSELY allied species, the Orchard Oriole, or Bob-o'- 

 LiNK {Xanthornis varius)^ is equally notable for its skill in nest- 

 building — if such a word may be used of a structure which is 

 begun at the top and carried downwards, after the fashion 

 employed in Laputa. 



It is a pretty bird, but not so pretty as the Baltimore Oriole, 

 and the- tints are very differently disposed, scarcely any two 

 individuals having the colours in exactly the same places. 

 Like the Baltimore Oriole, it is extremely variable in different 

 stages of its existence, the young male bearing great resem • 

 blance to the mature female, and not attaining its full beauty 

 until its third year. When adult, the whole of the head, neck, 

 upper part of the back, breast, wings, and tail, are deep black, 

 and a rich ruddy chestnut hue occupies the remainder of the 

 breast, the under parts of the body, and part of the wing- 

 coverts, some of which are tipped with white. The young male 

 and the adult female are yellowish olive above, instead of 

 black, with brown wings, and yellow on the breast and ab- 

 domen ; while the male of the second year has much the same 

 colours, but is known by a patch of black over the head and 

 on the throat, together with a few chestnut feathers on the 

 flanks and abdomen. It is smaller than the Baltimore Oriole, 

 and more slenderly made. 



The nest of this bird is almost as variable in structure as is 

 its architect in colour, its form being accommodated to the 

 situation in which it is placed. When fastened to a tolerably 

 stout branch, its depth is less than its diameter, and it is firmly 

 tied in several directions to prevent the wind from upsetting it. 

 But when it is slung to a long and slender branch, over which 

 the wind has great power, and which is swung to a distance of 

 fourteen or fifteen feet in a smart breeze, the nest is made of 

 much greater depth, and is of a lighter construction. The 

 weeping willow is a favourite tree with this bird, as the 

 drooping leaves conceal the nest effectually, and the delicate 

 twigs can be gathered together so as to support the entire 

 circumference of the entrance. 



