348 



ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



Ill a large number of nests received from Wisconsin, since 

 the foregoing was in type, a proportion were pensile, being 

 composed of fine grasses, neatly interwoven. 



ICTERUS BALTIMORE. — Daudin. 



The Baltimore Oriole; Golden Robin; Hang-nest. 



Orwlta Baltimore, Linnaeus. Syst. Nat., I. (1766) 162. Wils. Am. Orn., 1 

 (1606) 23. 



" Icterus Baltimore, Daudin." Aud. Orn. Biog., I. (1831) 66; V. (1839) 278. 



Description. 



Tail nearly even ; head all round and to middle of back, scapulars, wings, and 

 upper surface of tail, black ; rest of under parts, rump, upper tail coverts, and lesser 

 wing coverts, with, terminal portion of tail feathers (except two innermost), orange- 

 red; edges of wing quills, with a band across the tips of the greater coverts, 

 white. 



The female is much less brilliant in color; the black of the head and back gene- 

 rally replaced by brownish-yellow, purer on the throat; each feather with a black 

 spot. 



Length, seven and fifty one-hundredths inches; wing, three and seventy-five 

 one-hundredths inches. 



This weU-known species is abundantly distributed through- 

 out New t'ngland as a summer visitor. It makes its appear- 

 ance about the 8th of May in Massachusetts, and about the 



middle of that month 

 or later, in the north- 

 ern districts. It com- 

 mences building about 

 the 20th of May. The 

 nest is usually fixed 

 in an elm-tree near 

 houses, or in an apple 

 or pear tree in the or- 

 chard. Nuttall's de- 

 scription of the nest 

 is the best that I have ever seen, and much better than 

 any I could make: although somewhat lengthy, I give it 

 entire : — 



