IQg NORTH AMKIUUAN BIRDS. 



lately (lelendiiis tlicir yoiiii!,^ when in danjjor, and exposing; themselves fear- 

 lessly to danj^cr and to death rather tiiau forsake tiieni. If their youn^ are 

 tdvcn and caj^ed, tiie i)arents follow them, and, if porniitted, will continue to 

 feeil llieiM. 



^Ir. liidLtwiiy mentions an instance where the female entered her nest 

 while he was in the aet of severinj; the liml) from which it was suspended, 

 and ])ersisted in remainiiiij; there until the nest had heen cut off and taken 

 into tiie house. One of these l)in!s, reared from the nest hy a family in 

 Worce-<t(M', ^lass., liecanie perfectly domesticated, was allowed full liberty, 

 and even when taken by the married daughter of its mistress, perched on 

 lier linger, ihroiii^h the open grounds to her own house, made no attempt to 

 escajie. It delighted in occasional acts of mischief, especially in putting its 

 ])ointed bill through the meshes of the lace curtains, and then opening its 

 beak, seeming to enjoy the sound produced by tearing the threads. 



In tiie con.struction of its nest the Oriole disjdays great skill and inge- 

 nuity. This structure is a pendidous and nearly cylindrical pouch, suspended 

 from the extremity of .some hanging branch. It is constructed by means of 

 the interweaving of the natural filaments of several fiaxlike plants into a 

 homogeneous faliric of great strength, and admiraldy adapted to its ]iurposc. 

 A nest of this sjiccies from West Florida, as well as the one figured by Au- 

 dnl)on, was made entirely of the long moss {TUlamhia usncoidcs) so abun- 

 dant in Southern forests. 



The young birds, lud'ore they can fly, climb to the edge of the nest, and 

 are liable, in sudden tempests, to be thrown out. If uninjured, they are 

 good climbers, and by means of wings, bill, ami claws, are often able to 

 r(!acli jplaces of safety. In one instance a iledgling, wliicii had broken both 

 legs, and was ])laccd in a basket to be fed by its parents, managed, by wings 

 and bill, to raise itself to the rim, and in a few vlays took its departure. 



The parents feed their young chiefiy with caterpillars, which they appar- 

 ently swallow and then di.sgorge for this puri)ose. In confinement they feed 

 readily on soaked bread and fruit, and are esjiecially fond of figs. They are 

 .soon reconciled to confinement, become very docile and even ])layful, sing 

 readily, and will even come at a given signal and alight on the finger of 

 their master. 



Tlie eggs of the Haltimore are usually five and rarely si.\ in number. 

 They ai'c of an oblong-oval shajie, pf)inted at one end, and measure .01 of an 

 inch in length by .00 in lireadth. Tiieir ground-color is white, with a slight 

 roseate ting(! when fresh, fading into a bluish shade in time. They are all 

 variously marked, dotted, and marbled, with s])ots, blotches, and irregular 

 waving lines of purplish-brown. Tliese markings are of greatly varying 

 shades, from a light ])urple to alnio,st complete blackness, only perceptibly 

 purplish in a strong light. 



