Bird Siiidy 



127 



An oriole nest. An anchor to the windward. 



Photo by C. R. Crosby. 



LESSON XXX 

 The Oriole 



Leading thought — The oriole is the most skillful of all our bird archi- 

 tects. It is also one of our prized song birds and is very beneficial to the 

 farmer and fruit grower because of the insect pests which it destroys. 



Method — Begin during winter or early spring with a study of the nest, 

 which may be obtained from the elms of the roadsides. During the first 

 week in May, give the questions concerning the birds and their habits. 

 Let the pupils keep the questions in their note-books and answer them 

 when they have opportunity. The observations should be summed up 

 once a week. 



Observations by pupils — i. Where did you find the nest? On what 

 species of tree? Was it near the trunk of the tree or the tip of the 

 branch ? 



2. What is the shape of the nest? How long is it? How wide? Is 

 the opening as large as the bottom of the nest? How is it hung to the 

 twigs so that the opening remains open and does not pull together with 

 the weight of the bird at the bottom ? Is the bottom of the nest stayed 

 to a twig or does it hang loose? 



