it is the mother bird who builds the 

 nest, while her mate sings to her and, 

 perhaps, ''offers gratuitous and unheed- 

 ed advice." Mr. Lowell continues : 



High o'er the loud and dusty road 

 The soft gray cup in safety swings, 



To brim ere August with its load 



Of downy breasts and throbbing wings, 



O'er which the friendly elm tree heaves 



An emerald roof with sculptured leaves. 



Frequently the Orioles show marked 

 taste in their choice of building ma- 

 terials and weave a beautiful pouch of 

 soft fibers and of a uniform color. 

 These pensile cradles are softly lined 

 and so deep that the eggs and young are 

 often several inches below the opening. 

 A pair of Orioles are very devoted to 

 each other, and many observers believe 

 that they remain mated through life. 

 They seem to be greatly attached to a 

 locality in which they have once built 

 their home, and frequently they return 

 for several seasons, either repairing and 

 occupying the old nest or constructing 

 another in the same vicinity. 



When first the male Orioles arrive 

 from their winter sojourn in warmer 

 climes, they announce their presence by 

 sons:. At this time their notes do not 



have the mellow and passionate tone 

 that they assume after the arrival of the 

 females, but rather the notes are clear, 

 loud and shrill. During the mating 

 season, however, their notes are rich 

 and full, and the mellow tones of their 

 song are among the most captivating 

 sounds in Nature. Its plaintive melody 

 appeals to the sympathetic hearer. Mr. 

 Silloway says : "There is a wonderful 

 variation in the notes of the same indi- 

 vidual. To the observant ornithologist 

 with nice discrimination of hearing, the 

 notes of any individual frequently heard 

 are suflficient to distinguish it from 

 others wandering in the same neighbor- 

 hood, even as the voice is a clue to the 

 identity of a human being." The lively 

 Baltimore has a variety of songs and 

 seems to have, to a certain extent at 

 least, the power of imitation. Mr. Nut- 

 tall has said : "So various, in fact, are 

 the individual phrases chanted by this 

 restless bird that it is scarcely possible 

 to fix on any characteristic notes by 

 which he may be recognized ; his singu- 

 lar, loud, and almost plantive tone, and 

 a fondness for harping long on the same 

 string, are perhaps more peculiar than 

 any particular syllables which he may 

 be heard to utter." 



A LITTLE GIRL'S DOVE STORY. 



I was standing in our front yard where 

 there are many trees. 



I heard a clatter above my head, and 

 looking up, I saw a dear little Dove. It 

 looked as though it had been hurt, for it 

 did not fly, but fell. It fell on my 

 shoulder, and thus began the life of me 

 and my pet together. I took it into the 

 house, for it would not stay in the outer 

 air. 



Tin's little pet had many likes and dis- 

 likes ; for instance, although it was sum- 

 mer, he wanted to stay behind the kitchen 

 str)vc. Every day at five o'clock it went 



down into the cellar and did not come up 

 until dinner time. 



We also had a black cat which we 

 called Smutty. Smutty would try to get 

 the Dove's meat. The Dove would fly 

 at him "with tooth and nail" and Smutty 

 would retreat. The Dove always ate its 

 meals when we did, and when it was in 

 distress it always came to me. And so 

 the winter passed. When summer came 

 it began to go out into the fresh air. 



One day "when it was out, my little 

 baby sister began to fret tlie Dove, and 

 away it flew, far, far away, and never 

 was seen again. 



Emily T. Nelson. 



30 



