THE FIRE-BIRD. 



This Oriole is one of the- most brilliant- 

 ly colored of our common birds. The 

 name oriole is from "aureolus," mean- 

 ing, little bird in gold. Ruskin says that 

 on the plumes of birds the gold of the 

 cloud is put, that cannot be gathered of 

 any covetousness. 



There is a story to the effect that when, 

 in 1628, Lord Baltimore was exploring 

 the Chesapeake, worn out and discour- 

 aged, he was so much cheered by the 

 sight and sound of the oriole that he 

 adopted its colors as his own, hence the 

 name, "Baltimore Oriole." 



This bird, however, rejoices in several 

 other cognomens, such as English Robin, 

 Golden Robin, Hang-nest Bird, Fire- 

 Finch, and Golden Oriole. He is both 

 esthetic and utilitarian, being beautiful, 

 musical, social and also useful in that he 

 feeds upon insects most injurious to vege- 

 tation ; especially the harmful small kinds 

 passed over unnoticed by the birds of 

 other species. 



The Baltimore Oriole is fond of sweets. 

 He has been seen to snip off the heads of 

 white-headed or stingless bees and draw 

 out the viscera through the ring-like 

 opening, for the sake of the honey sack. 

 How did he know it was there? How did 

 he learn that he could get at it in this 

 way? The poet naturalist, Thompson, 

 well says of him : 



"You whisk wild splendors through the trees, 

 And send keen fervors down the wind; 



You singe The jackets of the bees, 

 And trail an opal mist behind. 



"When flowery hints foresay the berry, 

 On spray of haw and tuft of briar, 



Then wandering incendiary, 

 You set the maple swamps afire." 



While the Oriole's song is not espe- 

 cially melodious to me, it is fresh and 

 cheerful, with something of a human ele- 

 ment in its child-like whistle. Young 



birds in the nest cry "cree-te-te-te-te-te." 

 This bird is fond of building near the 

 habitations of men, selecting sites in door- 

 yards, orchards, and lawns. He weaves 

 an artistic habitation at airy heights, 

 choosing strong, flexible material for the 

 pendant, bag-like nest. In California, the 

 Arizona hooded oriole weaves nests of 

 the beautiful Spanish moss ; but one oc- 

 casionally uses the love-vine or yellow 

 dodder to construct a gaudy, pocket-like 

 nest. The Fire-bird would not do this, 

 for it always selects for its nest gray- 

 ish, bleached material in harmony with 

 the limbs of the trees. An experiment 

 was tried of placing a bunch of colored 

 yarns near its nesting-place, in order to 

 see what, if it used them, the choice of 

 colors would be. It selected all the gray 

 threads, and, when nearly done, a few 

 blue and purple, but not a single red, or 

 green or yellow strand. The strongest 

 and best material is used for the part by 

 which the whole is supported. 



The Baltimore Oriole is sometimes on 

 intimate terms with his relative, the Or- 

 chard Oriole. Last summer the latter 

 had hung its pretty cup-shaped nest on 

 a branch of weeping willow near my win- 

 dow. The tedium of her sitting was re- 

 lieved several times by a morning call 

 from Sir Baltimore. He would seat him- 

 self on a twig near her nest and utter a 

 soft, clear note, which no doubt meant a 

 greeting in bird language. When he went 

 away a few moments later, his two notes 

 sounded strangely like "A — dieu" — a 

 translation for which Olive Thorn Miller 

 is authority. 



But his song and his speech were less 

 heeded than the spectacle of his brilliant 

 flight— 



"For look! The flash of flaming wings 

 The fire plumed oriole." 



Belle Paxson Drurv. 



20 



