242 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



from 7 to 60 feet, the average being about 25 to 30 feet. In spite of the 



skilful placing of the oriole's nest, it is frequently visited by plunderers. 



I have seen crows on several occasions succeed in getting young birds 



from the nest and the home of the Screech owl very often shows that the 



yotmg orioles have been taken and fed to the owlets. Red squirrels also 



descend to the nest to get the eggs and young birds, and I have seen the 



gray squirrels do this on one or two occasions. Generally, however, the 



young are reared successfully and I am inclined to think that dangers 



in migration and severe weather are the principal checks to the increase 



of this species. 



Icterus buUocki (Swainson) 



Bullock Oriole 



Xanthornus bullockii Swainson. Philos. Mag. N. S. 1827. 1:436 

 .Icterus bullocki A. 0. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 238. No. 508 

 hiMocki, in honor of William BuUock of London 



Description. Size of the Baltimore oriole ; color somewhat similar but 

 the under parts not so reddish orange; the head and neck not black but 

 yellowish or orange spotted on the crown and back of the neck with black; 

 chin and center of the throat black; large patch of white on the tving caused 

 by the white middle and longer coverts. Female considerably duller, 

 lower parts a light olive gray and the upper parts bright yellowish olive; 

 where the male is yellowish orange and black, more olive brownish. 



Distribution. This species is purely accidental in New York State. 

 A single specimen has been reported by Mr Dakin from Onondaga county 

 on May 17, 1875. Unfortunately, this specimen disappeared from Mr 

 Dakin's collection and I have not been able to trace it, but Mr Dakin's 

 carefulness as a bird student seems ample proof that the bird which he 

 describes was a Bullock oriole and was taken in Onondaga county, although, 

 of course, it may have been an escaped caged bird which gave no evidence 

 of previous confinement. The normal range of this species is in western 

 America, from southern British Columbia and southern Saskatchewan to 

 southern Texas and Sonora; and from California eastward to South Dakota 

 and central Nebraska. 



