316 PERCHERS AND SINGERS 
In Montana, the West—ERN Mrapowrark! quite wearied 
me by the tiresome iteration, day after day, of its one short, 
seven-word song. This was it: 
—_ 
O ———— 
ft i im — 
Ee (a | o i 2 = 
Cty eo. —_ f = ] 
cay . is ad t | 
J a 
As our “outfit”? pulled over the smoothly shaven Mis- 
souri-Yellowstone divide, in the month of May, I think we 
heard that song repeated a thousand times, or less; and when 
the wind blew hard for five long days without intermission, 
even that cheerful welcome at last became irritating. 
The eastern Meadowlark inhabits the eastern half of the 
United States, and the western species begins at the western 
edge of Iowa and Missouri; but nezther of them belongs to the 
Lark Family! 
THe BALTIMORE ORIOLE,? or Hanc-Nest, has beautiful 
plumage of orange and black, a very pleasing song, good habits, 
and therefore it is one of our feathered favorites. Either when 
perching or on the wing, it is a very graceful bird. It is the 
most skilful builder in North America, and constructs a 
strong and durable hanging nest which is a marvel of intel- 
ligent and skilful effort. The Oriole does not believe in 
having boys make collections of Oriole eggs. The outer- 
most branches of a very tall and very drooping elm are par- 
ticularly suited to its views of an ideal building site. 
The nest of this Oriole is bound to create in the mind of 
any one who examines it attentively a high degree of admira- 
tion for the mental capacity of its builder. Its superstruc- 
1 Stur-nel’la neg-lec'ta. Average length, about 9.50 inches. 
2 [e’'te-rus gal-bu'la. Length, 8 inches. 
