OUR FRIENDS, THE BIRDS. 135 
of more interest to me than anything else that I have 
read, that it is possible for an ordinary reader to get 
hold of. 
The “Golden Robin” is said by some writers to 
destroy fruit blossoms, but others say that they destroy 
larvee which infest the blossoms. This seems most 
probable, as its food consist of insects. 
The squirrel is an enemy to this bird, and destroys 
its eggs. Its nest is very curious and it uses all kinds 
of thread-like materials. It is a beautiful and unusu- 
ally interesting bird. 
Edgar Fawcett describes this bird in the following 
beautiful lines: 
How falls it, Oriole, thou hast come to fly 
In tropic splendor through our northern sky? 
At some glad moment was it nature’s choice 
To dower a scrap of sunset with a voice? 
Or did some orange tulip flaked with black 
In some forgotten garden, ages back, 
Yearning toward Heaven until its wish was heard 
Desire unspeakably to be a bird ? 
‘“ Another charming poem,” said Miss Sweet is 
THE: OR VOLE: 
BY JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL, 
Hush ! ’Tis he! 
My Oriole, my glance of summer fire 
Is come at last, and, ever on the watch, 
Twitches the pack-thread I had lightly wound 
About the bough to help his housekeeping,— 
