14 BALTIMORE ORIOLE. 
There his sweet mate, secure from every harm, 
Broods o’er her spotted store, and wraps them warm ; 
Lists to the noontide hum of busy bees, 
Her partner’s mellow song, the brook, the breeze ; 
These day by day the lonely hours deceive, 
From dewy mom to slow descending eve.. 
Two weeks elapsed, behold! a helpless crew 
Claim all her care, and her affection too; 
On wings of love the assiduous nurses fly, 
Flowers, leaves, and boitghs, abundant food supply 5 
Glad chants their guardian, as abroad he goes, ©” 
And waving breezes rock them to repose. 
The Baltimore inhabits North America from Canada to Mexico, 
and is even found as far south as Brazil. Since the streets of our 
cities have heen planted with that beautiful and stately tree, the Lom- 
bardy poplar, these birds are our constant visitors during the early 
part of summer; and, amid the noise and tumult of coaches, drays, 
wheelbarrows, and the din of the multitude, they are heard chanting” 
“their native wood notes wild;” sometimes, too, within a few yards 
of an oysterman, who stands bellowing, with the lungs of a Stentor, 
under the shade of the same tree; so much will habit reconcile even 
birds to the roar of the city, and to sounds and noises, that, in other 
circumstances, would put a whole grove of them to flight. _ 
These birds are several years in receiving their complete plumage. 
Sometimes the whole tail of a male individual in spring is yellow, 
sometimes only the two middle feathers are black, and frequently the 
black on the back is skirted with orange, and the tail tipped with the 
same color. Three years, I have reason to believe, are necessary to 
fix the full tint of the plumage, and then the male bird appears aa 
already described.* 
* The following interesting account has been furnished. to tie publisher of this 
edition. ; ‘ 
“ At your request I send you the following history of a Baltimore Oriole, that I had 
in my care between seven and eight years. ‘I'his bird I took fiom the nest-when. 
very young, with three others ; but, being unskilled in taking care of them, this only 
lived. I tanght it to feed from my mouth, and it would often alight on my. finger, 
and strike the end with its bill, until I raised it to my mouth, when it would insert 
its bill and open my lips, by using its. upper and lower mandibles as levers, and 
then take out whatever I might have there for it. : 
“None, who have noted the Oriole, can have overlooked this peculiar power of its 
mandibles, bestowed by a wise and good Providence for gently opening the closed- 
up bud or leaf, and seizing the concealed insect? It sometimes takes peas in the 
same manner, leaving the open and empty pod on the vine. 
“ In winter, sprigg, and autumn, I kept a little cage lined with cotton batting for the . 
bird to pass the night in, and, towards evening, it would leave its large cage, and 
fly to this. After entering, if I did not close up the aperture with cotton, it would 
do so itself by pulling the cotton from the sides of the cage, until it had shut up all 
aperines for the cold to enter. I fed it with sponge cake ; and when this became 
dry and hard, and it wanted some softer, it would make its wants known to me by 
its look and note, and if I did not very soon attend to it, it would take up a piece 
of the hard cake, carry it to the. saucer of water, and drop it in, and move it about, 
until it was sufficiently soft to be eaten. 
“Tn very cold weather, the bird would leave its cage, fly to me, run under my 
cape, and place itself on my neck. Constantly, during the day, when it was at lib- 
erty, it would perch on my finger, and draw my needle and thread from me when I 
was sewing. At such times, if any child approached me and pulled my cape or 
dress a little, it would chase after the offender, with its wings and tail spread, and 
