ORCHARD ORIOLE. 149 



but wedged ; its notes, which are neither so full nor so mellow, and 

 uttered with much more rapidity ; its mode of building, and the mate- 

 rials it uses, both of which are different ; and lastly, the shape and color 

 of the eggs of each (see figs, a and 6), which are evidently unlike. If 

 all these circumstances, and I could enumerate a great many more, be 

 not sufficient to designate this as a distinct species, by what criterion, I 

 would ask, are we to discriminate between a variety and an original 

 species, or to assure ourselves, that the Great Horned Owl is not in fact 

 a bastard Goose, or the Carrion Crow a mere variety of the Humming 

 Bird? 



These mistakes have been occasioned by several causes. Principally 

 by the changes of color, to which the birds are subject, and the distance 

 of Europeans from the country they inhabit. Catesby, it is true, while 

 in Carolina, described and figured the Baltimore, and perhaps was the 

 first who published figures of either species ; but he entirely omitted 

 saying anything of the female ; and instead of the male and female of 

 the present species, as he thought, he has only figured the male in two of 

 his different dresses ; and succeeding compilers have followed and re- 

 peated the same error. Another cause may be assigned, viz., the ex- 

 treme shyness of the female Orchard Oriole, represented at fig. 1. 

 This bird has hitherto escaped the notice of European naturalists, or 

 has been mistaken for another species, or perhaps for a young bird of 

 the first season, which it almost exactly resembles. In none of the nu- 

 merous works on ornithology has it ever before appeared in its proper 

 character ; though the male has been known to Europeans for more than 

 a century, and has usually been figured in one of his dresses as male, 

 and in another as female ; these varying according to the fluctuating 

 opinions of different writers. It is amusing to see how gentlemen have 

 groped in the dark in pairing these two species of Orioles, of which the 

 following examples may be given : 



Buffon's and Latham's \ Male — Male JJaltimore. 



Baltimore Oriole. j Female — Male Orchard Oriole, fig. 4. ' 



Spurious Baltimore of ) Male — Female Baltimore. 



Ditto. j Female — Male Orchard Oriole, fig. 2. 



T) i' T) li- r\ } Male — Male Baltimore, 



rennant s Baltimore 0. > 777 7 v at 1 -n i^- 



( Jbemale — loung Male Baltimore. 



Q • n c -n-ix ) Male — Male Orchard 0., fig. 4. 



Spurious O.-of Ditto. } Female-Ditto, dittq, fig. 2^ 



n i* 1, ' T) li- r\ ) Male — Male Baltimore. 



Uatesby s Baltimore 0., ^ i, , t.j . ,. ■■ 



'' ' j ±emale — JNot mentioned. 



«,^ ■ -a e -nvx ) JIfafe— Male Orchard 0., fig. 2. 



Spurious B. of Ditto. [ pemale-Ditto, ditto, fig. i 



Among all these authors, Catesby is doubtless the most inexcusable, 

 having lived for several years in America, where he had an opportunity 



