THE BALTIMOEE ORIOLE. 485 



strips of grapevine bark, etc. With such materials a strong purse or pouch- 

 shaped nest is woven and firmly attached to one or more forked twigs by the 

 slightly contracted rim, and it is usually placed in such a position that the entrance 

 is well shaded by leafy twigs above. All sorts of materials are used in lining the 

 bottom and sides of the nest — cotton, wool, tow, rags, cattle hair, fur, fine strips 

 of bark, tree moss, fine grass, and plant down. They readily avail themselves of 

 any suitable materials, such as yarn, which may be thrown out to them, but 

 prefer plain to gaudy colored stuffs. I have a nest before me which has a couple 

 of tassels, made of white cotton twine, pending loosely from the side of the nest. 

 This nest, No. 25112, was taken by Mr. H. P. Attwater, near Chatham, Ontario, 

 in June, 1886. It is firmly attached to and pendant from tluee small twigs, and 

 is composed of twine, horsehair, and plant fibers; the walls, although rather thin, 

 are greatly strengthened by the quantity of horsehair used. It is externally 5 

 inches deep, and the entrance, which is oval in shape, measures 3 4 by 2 inches in 

 diameter. The cup is 4£ inches deep by 2£ inches wide. This is a truly pensile 

 nest. Another, No. 25904, taken by Mr. Otto Widmann, near St. Louis, Missouri, 

 on May 31, 1884, an exceedingly well-built example, was suspended from some 

 small twigs growing out of an upright fork of an elm branch about half an inch 

 thick and some 25 feet from the ground, it was also fastened to one branch of the 

 fork for nearly the entire depth of the nest. It measures 9 inches in length 

 by 5 inches in external diameter, and is nearly cylindrical in shape. It is fully 

 5 inches deep and 3 inches wide inside. The opening of the nest was well pro- 

 tected from above by several small, leafy twigs ; a few long streamers of hemp-like 

 fibers hang down from the sides and bottom. The inside is lined with horsehair 

 and plant down. Although rather slovenly looking from the outside, this is by 

 far the best built nest of this species I have seen. The color of some of the 

 nests varies considerably according to the materials used; some look almost 

 white, others a pale straw color, and the majority smoke gray. In the South the 

 Baltimore Oriole, like the preceding species, builds occasionally in bunches of 

 the gray moss (Tillandsia usneoides). 



The nests are usually suspended from long, slender, drooping branches of 

 elm, maple, birch, weeping willow, buttonwood, sycamore, oak, aspen, poplar, 

 Norway spruce, apple, pear, and wild cherry trees; but in some localities they 

 are frequently built in the very top and center of a tree, where it is almost impos- 

 sible to see them. They are placed at various heights from the ground, from 

 8 to 50 feet and more, and frequently in utterly inaccessible positions. The 

 Baltimore Oriole is tolerant and amiably disposed toward its smaller neighbors, 

 and such are often allowed to nest in the same tree, and occasionally within a 

 few feet of its own nest. 



Incubation lasts about fourteen days, and I think the female attends to this 

 duty almost exclusively. Both sexes are extremely devoted to each other, as 

 well as to their eg'gs and young, defending these bravely against all intruders. 

 From four to six eggs are laid to a set, most frequently four, though sets of five 

 are not uncommon, while sets of six are rather rare. One is deposited daily, and 

 only one brood is raised in a season. The young- are able to leave the nest when 



