THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE 



CHARLES BENDIRE 



THE Baltimore Oriole is a common and well-known bird 

 throughout our eastern, middle and northern States. 

 In the upper Mississippi Valley it has greatly increased in 

 numbers within the last thirty years, since the country has 

 been settled, and it appears to be holding its own in the east, 

 where many other species are slowly decreasing. This is 

 undoubtedly due to its great popularity in our rural districts, 

 where its beneficial qualities are generally understood. 



Aside from its showy plumage, its sprightly and pleasing 

 ways, its familiarity with man, and the immense amount of 

 good it does by the destruction of many noxious insects and 

 their larvee, including hairless caterpillars, spiders' cocoons, 

 etc., it naturally and deservedly endears itself to every true 

 lover of the beautiful in nature. Only a short-sighted churl 

 or an ignorant fool would begrudge one of these birds the few 

 green peas and berries it may help itself to while in season. 

 It fully earns all it takes, and more, too, and especially 

 deserves the fullest protection of every agriculturist. 



The Baltimore Oriole usually arrives in the southern New 

 England States, in central New York, and Minnesota, with 

 a most invariable regularity about May loth, rarely varying a 

 week from this date. It arrives correspondingly earlier or 

 later farther south or north. About this time the trees have 

 commenced to leaf, and many of the orchards are in bloom, 

 so that their arrival coincides with the loveliest time of the 



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