56 THE WREN, 
clear quality of the male, but it was about the length of their song, 
and was characteristic enough to be easily recognized. It is need- 
less to say I quickly lowered my gun. I kept imitating the song, 
and she flew into the cherry tree under which I was standing, and 
remained there several minutes. 
The food of the Oriole is varied, and shows the bird to be of great 
economic value. Professor Beal finds that eighty-three and four- 
tenths per cent of the Oriole’s food consists of animal matter; cater- 
pillars forming thirty-four per cent. of the whole. Forbush says, 
“The Oriole is one of the first among the birds known to destroy 
hairy caterpillars, and for this alone it may be ranked as one of 
the chief friends of the orchardist and forester. The tussock, 
gipsy, brown-tail, tent, and forest caterpillars, the fall webworm 
and even the spiny caterpillar of the mourning cloak butterfly,— 
all are greedily eaten by the Baltimore; and it does not usually 
swallow many, but merely kills them and eats a small portion of 
the inner parts. It thus destroys many more than would be needed 
to satisfy its appetite were they swallowed whole, while at the same 
time no recognizable portion of the caterpillar can be found in 
the bird’s stomach.”’ Other things which they eat are May and other 
leaf-eating beetles. “‘Bagworms, curculios, wasps, bugs, plant lice, 
scale insects, March flies, and crane flies are among the insects 
eaten by this bird.” + One of the chief complaints brought against 
the Oriole is that it occasionally helps itself to green peas. Dr. 
Harris says in his “Insects Injurious to Vegetation” that the Oriole 
splits open the green pea pods to get the weevil grubs contained in 
the peas, thereby greatly helping to prevent the spread of these 
noxious insects. This seems to indicate that it is not always the 
peas he is seeking. 
Thus the Baltimore Oriole is not only a most beautiful bird, and 
a fine singer, but one of the most useful birds that visits us. Hence 
it should be considered as a friend and every possible means taken 
to encourage its increase. 
W. Charlesworth Levy. 
1 Useful Birds and their protection, by Edward Howe Forbush. 
