ICTEUID.K -THK ( »I!1()I,KS. ]()1 



Wiiitcr sfu'ciinoiis I'luiu Mcxiin luivc tli(.' liliulv ohsnircd \t\ lnnwnisli 

 lionK'i'N t(j lilt Icatlicrs. 



Hadits. Tlu; ( >i'cliiii(l Or'ole is touml iilmiidiuit tliniiiylicut iiidst dl' the 

 Uuileil States, Irom tliii Allaiilic, to tlin Missouri \'allcy, ami on the south- 

 west to the valley of tlie iJio (iiaiide. Mr. .1. A. Allen mot with iiidiviihuils 

 of this species as far west as the liasi' of tiie llocky Mountains, in {'<dorado, 

 which lie icj^ards as the extreme wi'stern limit. It is a very rare sum ler 

 visitant in New Kngland, th(iu;^h found even as lar eastward as Calais, Me. 

 It was not iound in Western Maine Ity Verrill, nor am I aware of its havinji' 

 lieeii met Viith in eitl 'r New llamii.shire or Vermont. Mr. Allen states that 

 a few pans lireiMl tivery .sea.son near Sprinuli'dd, in Western Mas.sachnsetts. 

 I have never met with it in the eastern part of the State, hut oliiers have 

 heen more fortunate, and it is proliable that a few visit us each sea.son. 



In Texas Mr. Dre.s.ser found this sjieeies very common at San Antonio 

 durin.t,' the summer, arriviiij,' there (pute early in April. Fie iiroeured a nnm- 

 l)er of their nests, all of which were made of li^dit-colored tlexililc j^ra.s.se.s, 

 c'lnd suspended fnjm the nj)pcr hranches of the mes(iuite-trees. He also 

 found them breeding near Houston, and on (ialveston Island. He de.scrihes 

 them as nuieli smaller than 1)irds from the Xorthern States. This smaller 

 race Mr. Lawrence ha.s regarded as a distinct speeii's, to wiiich he gives the 

 name of nj/iiiis. It has heen tiaced as far to the west as Fort Jliley in Kan- 

 sap, and Fort Lookout in Nebraska. It winters in (iuatemala, wluri; it is 

 very abundant at that season. Mr. James McLeannan killed it as far south 

 fis Panama. 



])r. Klliott Cones considers this bird as rare and cliielly migrant in South 

 Carolina; but Mr. H. S. Itodney (Naturalist, Jan., ISTJ.) found them (piite 

 numerous at Camden, in that State, in the summer of 1S7L He met with 

 five nests between June 28 and July 19, and has no doubt he could have 

 taken many more, as he counted at least fifteen diflerent ])airs. From the 

 fact that J)r. Cones did not meet with any nest at ('(dundiia, oidy thirty miles 

 distant, Mr. IJodney infers that this Oriole is very jiartial to certain fa\'ored 

 localities, as is also the Baltimore. 



The Orchard Oriole is an active, s]n'ightly, and very lively sjiecies, and 

 possesses a very peculiar and somewhat remarkable song. Its notes are 

 very ra])idly enunciated, and are both hurried and energetic. Sonu> writers 

 speak of the song as confused, but this attribute is not in the utterance of 

 the song, the musician manifesting anything but confusion in the rapid and 

 distinct enunciation of his gu.shing notes. Th(>se may be too ([uiek in their 

 utterance for the listener to follow, but they are wonderful both for their 

 rajtidity and their harmony. His ])erformance consists of .shrill and lividy 

 notes, uttered with an apparent air of greiit agitation, and they are (piite as 

 distinct and agreeable, though neither so full nor S(» rich, as are those of the 

 more celebrated (Johlen I'l^bin. 



In the Central States, from New York to North Carolina, these birds are 



