252 THE GOLDEN ORIOLE 



noticed in the Southern and Eastern counties of 

 England. 



Unfortunately collectors cannot resist adding this 

 beautifully plumaged bird to their lists. I have watched 

 it myself in Southern Germany and Hungary. It is not 

 at all shy, and one of the most beautiful things in bird- 

 life I have ever seen was a number of Orioles flitting 

 from tree to tree in an orchard situated amongst vine- 

 yards on the hilly banks of the Danube in Baranya. 

 The black on the wing-coverts and tail-feathers is in 

 striking contrast with the golden-yellow of the greater 

 part of the plumage. The male has a very flute-like call, 

 hence its French name of Loriot. The female is a 

 devoted mother. Where these birds have been protected 

 on private estates in our country they have reared broods 

 successfully ; it would surely add to the beauty of our 

 rural landscapes, if they were encouraged and protected. 



The Oriole is rather larger than the Thrush. The male 

 is a beautiful golden-yellow ; wings and tail black except 

 the end of the tail which is yellow. A black stripe 

 passes across the eyes from the base of the beak ; the 

 beak is a reddish flesh colour, the eye blood-red. In the 

 female and the young, all the parts which in the male 

 are golden-yellow are greenish, the underparts a 

 greyish- white with darker stripes. The nest is quite a 

 work of art. It is always placed in the base of a fork 

 of a branch, and is fastened to the bough with fine root 

 fibre and bast; it is lined with any fine soft material, 

 even cob-webs are sometimes found in it. The clutch 

 usually consists of five eggs, which are white with a few 

 very prominent dark specks. It also nests in gardens. 



