294 BIRDS 



allied species. They are usually found in one of the two 

 following situations: the first and most frequent is in a 

 bunch of hanging moss, usually at no great height from 

 the ground; when so placed the nests are formed almost 

 entirely by hollowing out and matting the moss, with a few 

 filaments of a dark, hairlike moss as a lining; the second 

 situation is in a bush growing to a height of about six feet, 

 a nearly bare stem, throwing out two or three irregular 

 masses of leaves at the top. 



ORCHARD ORIOLE 



The Orchard Oriole ranges throughout eastern North 

 America, from the Gulf to Canada, wintering in Central 

 America. 



The orchard oriole was until fifteen years ago one of the 

 characteristic birds of the Chicago area, and he appeared 

 the embodiment of this hustling center, as he is apparently 

 always in a hurry. Even his notes, though pleasing, are 

 uttered while he is rapidly moving through the foliage 

 removing caterpillars from the leaves or other forms of 

 insect life from the bark of trees. It, like the Baltimore 

 oriole, is welcome about the home, as the beauty, the song, 

 and the destruction of insect life make it a highly useful 

 bird. 



The plumage of the male orchard oriole is darker than 

 that of our other American orioles, and should not be mis- 

 taken for the more common Baltimore. With the Balti- 

 more oriole, this is the only species common to eastern 

 North America. Orioles are not forest-loving birds, but 



