BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. 



[Icterus bullocki.) 



Bullock's Oriole, a species as handsome 

 and conspicuous as the Baltimore Oriole, 

 replaces it in the western portions of the 

 United States and is likewise widely dis- 

 tributed. Its breeding range within our 

 borders corresponds to its distribution. 

 It is only a summer resident with us, ar- 

 riving usually from its winter haunts in 

 Mexico during the last half of March and, 

 moving slowly northward, reaches the 

 more northern parts of its breeding range 

 from a month to six weeks later. It ap- 

 pears to be much rarer in the immediate 

 vicinity of the seacoast than in the Great 

 Basin regions, where it is common nearly 

 everywhere, especially if sufficient water 

 is found to support a few stunted cotton- 

 woods and willows. During my extensive 

 wanderings through nearly all the states 

 west of the Rocky Mountains and extend- 

 ing from the Mexican to the British bor- 

 ders, I have met with this species almost 

 everywhere in the lowlands and in some 

 localities have found it very abundant. 

 Like the Baltimore Oriole, it avoids 

 densely wooded regions and the higher 

 mountains. It is especially abundant in 

 the rolling prairie country traversed 

 here and there by small streams having 

 their sources in some of the many minor 

 mountain ranges which are such promi- 

 nent features of the landscape in portions 

 of Idaho, Washington and Oregon. These 

 streams are fringed with groves of cotton- 

 wood, mixed with birch, willow and alder 

 bushes, which are the favorite resorts of 

 this Oriole during the breeding season. 

 The immediate vicinity of water is, how- 

 ever, not considered absolutely necessary, 

 as I have found it nesting fully a mile or 

 more away from it on hillsides, the edges 

 of table-lands and in isolated trees, or 

 even in bushes. In Colorado it is said to 

 be found at altitudes of over eight thou- 

 sand feet, but as a rule it prefers much 

 lower elevations. 



The call notes of Bullock's Oriole are 

 very similar to those of the Baltimore, but 

 its song is neither as pleasing to the ear 

 nor as clear and melodious as that of' the 

 latter. Its food is similar and consists 

 principally of insects and a few wild ber- 

 ries. 



The nest resembles that of the Balti- 

 moie Oriole, but as a rule it is not quite 

 as pensile and many are more or less 

 securely fastened by the sides as well as 

 by the rim to some of the adjoining 

 twigs. The general make-up is similar. 

 As many of the sections where Bullock's 

 Oriole breeds are still rather sparsely set- 

 tled, less twine and such other material 

 as may be picked up about human habi- 

 tations enter into its composition. Shreds 

 of wild flax and other fiber-bearing plants 

 and the inner bark of the juniper and wil- 

 low are more extensively utilized ; these 

 with horsehair and the down of plants, 

 wool and fine moss furnish the inner lin- 

 ing of the nests. According to my obser- 

 vations, the birch, alder, cottonwood, eu- 

 calyptus, willow, sycamore, oak, pine and 

 juniper furnish the favorite nesting sites : 

 and in Southern Arizona and Western 

 Texas it builds frequently in bunches of 

 mistletoe growing on cottonwood and 

 mesquite trees. 



The nests are usually placed in low sit- 

 uation, from six to fifteen feet from the 

 ground, but occasionally one is found 

 fully fifty feet up. A very handsome nest, 

 now before me, is placed among six twigs 

 of mistletoe, several of these being incor- 

 porated in the sides of the nest, which is 

 woven entirely of horsehair and white 

 cotton thread, making a very pretty com- 

 bination. The bottom of the nest is lined 

 with wool. 



The sexes are extremely devoted to 

 each other and valiantly defend their egg- 

 and young. I once saw a pair vigorously 

 attack a Richardson's squirrel, which evi- 



