754 The Sparrow-like Birds 



Typical Orioles. In its broadest acceptance this family includes but two 

 genera, the first of which (Oriolus) embraces the typical Orioles to the number 

 of forty or more, and the other the Fig-birds (S.pkecotheres), the half a dozen 

 species of which are confined to the Australian region. Of the Orioles, which 

 are distinguished from the others by having the lores feathered, the best-known 

 is the Golden Oriole (O. galbula), which is entirely of a rich golden yellow both 

 above and below, with the exception of the lores, which are black, and the jet- 

 black wings and tail, the former with the primaries broadly edged with yellow 

 and the latter with all the feathers tipped with the same. They spend the 

 winter months in South Africa, returning in as silent and unobtrusive a manner 

 as possible to their summer homes in late spring. Each pair preempts a 

 certain area of woodland in which they fiercely resent intrusions of others of 

 their kind. They nest rather late, usually the last of May or early in June, 

 constructing of strips of bark, grasses, etc., a neat, basket-shaped nest which 

 is carefully fastened to a forked branch; the young are very tenderly cared for 

 by the parents. 



Differing from the last in having the black of the lores extending to a patch 

 around and behind the eye is the Indian Oriole (O. kundoo] of Afghanistan, 

 Turkestan, Kashmir, and the higher ranges of the Himalayas, while with the 

 black of the lores widening to a band on the nape is the Black-naped Oriole 

 (O. indicus] of Mongolia, China, etc. The Indian Oriole, Jerdon tells us, is an 

 abundant species in well-wooded situations, where it frequents gardens, ave- 

 nues, etc., feeding on various fruits, but especially the fig of the banian tree. Its 

 note is a loud, plaintive cry, resembling pee-ho, while its nest is a slight cup- 

 shaped affair of fine grasses and roots, and the eggs are white spotted with 

 purplish. As an example of species in which yellow is not the principal color, 

 we may select the Maroon Oriole (O. traillii] of. .the Himalayas, in which, with 

 the exception of the head, throat, and wings, which are black, the entire plumage 

 is a bright, shining maroon-red. Even more brilliant is the Crimson Oriole 

 (O. ardens] of Formosa, in which the ground color both above and below is 

 deep crimson. 



The Fig-birds (Sphecotheres} differ from the Orioles in having the lores, as 

 well as all the region around and beneath the eye, bare. Of the two Australian 

 species, the Yellow-bellied Fig-bird (S. flaviventris) is a handsome bird, olive- 

 green above with a shining black cap and rich jonquil-yellow under parts. Mr. 

 Gould describes it as being very shy and difficult of approach, though Campbell 

 says it was one of the most striking birds that visited the precincts of his camp 

 in the Card well district, where "they often, especially in the morning, perched 

 on the summits of the very trees to which our tents were suspended, and poured 

 forth over our heads beautiful songs not altogether unlike those of the English 

 Thrush." Their nests, like those of the other species, are open shallow affairs 

 of wire-like stalks or tendrils of plants, usually placed in a horizontal fork at 

 the extremity of a branch and high above the ground. The two or three eggs 

 are usually some shade of green sparsely blotched with reddish or purplish 

 brown. 



