THE CRESTED ORIOLE. 325 



end with purplish spots, and covered at the smaller end with a great number of fine intersecting 

 lines of the same hue. The food of the Baltimore Oriole seems to be almost entirely of an 

 animal nature, and to consist of caterpillars, beetles, and other insects, most of them injurious 

 to the farmer or the gardener. 



The coloring of this bird is as follows : The head and throat, together with the upper part 

 of the back and the wings, are deep black, with the exception of an orange bar upon the 

 shoulders. The lower part of the back and the whole of the under surface are bright orange, 

 warming into scarlet on the breast. The edges of the secondaries, the exterior edges of the 

 greater wing-coverts, and part of those of the primaries, are white. The tail is rather curiously 

 colored, and thus described by Wilson : "The tail-feathers under the coverts, orange; the 

 two middle ones from thence to the tips are black, the next five on each side black near the 

 coverts, and orange towards the extremities, so disposed that when the tail is expanded and 

 the coverts removed, the black appears in the form of a pyramid supported on an arch of 

 orange.' 1 The female is dull black upon the upper parts and mottled with brownish-yellow, 

 each feather being marked with that tint upon the edges. The lower part of the back and all 

 the under portions of the body are dull orange, and the tail is mostly olive-yellow. The wings 

 are dull brown, and marked with yellowish-white upon the coverts. 



From these colors the bird has derived the names of Golden Robin and Fire Bird. Its total 

 length is about seven inches. 



The Baltimore Oriole belongs to a genus almost wholly American, though what are termed 

 the true Orioles are Old World birds. The song of this bird is a clear, mellow whistle, 

 repeated at short intervals, as he gleans among the branches. There is in it a certain wild 

 plaintiveness and naivete extremely interesting. It is not uttered with the rapidity of the 

 ferrugineus thrush, and some other eminent songsters, but with the pleasing tranquillity of 

 a careless plough-boy, whistling merely for his own amusement. When alarmed by an 

 approach to his nest, or any such circumstance, he makes a kind of rapid chirping — very 

 different from his usual note. This, however, is always succeeded by those mellow tones 

 which seem so congenial to his nature. 



Higli on yon poplar, clad in glossiest green, 



The orange, black-capped Baltimore is seen. 



The broad, extended boughs still please him best; 



Beneath their bending skirts he hangs his nest. — Wilson. 



He is several years in getting his full plumage. 



Owe of the most curious and handsome birds of this group is termed the Crested Oriole, 

 on account of the sharp, pointed crest which rises from its head. 



It is a native of tropical America, and seems to be rather a familial' bird, often leaving the 

 forests where it usually dwells, and making its home near the habitations of man. Whether 

 in the vast woods of its native land, or whether in the cultivated grounds, it is always to be 

 found in the loftiest trees, traversing their branches in search of food, and suspending its nest 

 from the extremity of the slenderest twigs. It is a very active bird both on foot and in the 

 air, one quality being needful for its movements among the boughs while getting berries, and 

 the other for the chase of the various insects with which it varies its diet. 



The nest of the Crested Oriole is a very elegant structure, much larger than that of either 

 of the preceding species, being sometimes not less than three feet in length. It is always hung 

 from the very extremity of some delicate twig, so as to escape the marauding hand of the 

 monkey, or the dreaded fangs of the snake; and as a great number of these are generally 

 found upon one tree, the combined effect, together with the busy scene of the parent birds 

 continually going and returning from their homes, is remarkably fine. The shape of the nest 

 is cylindrical, swelling into a somewhat spherical form at the bottom ; and it is found that 

 both birds take an equal share of work in its construction. 



The Crested Oriole is very beautifully as well as curiously colored. The head, shoulders, 

 breast, and abdomen are warm chocolate-brown, and the wings are dark green, changing 



