THE BLACKBIRD FAMILY 125 



, brighter on head and near tail. Back and wings dusky 

 brown, with pale buff shoulder-bars and edges of coverts. 

 Throat black. Under parts olive, shading into yellow. 



Range — Canada to Central America. Common in tem- 

 perate latitudes of the United States, east of the Plains. 



Migrations — Early May. Middle of September. Com- 

 mon summer resident. 



With a more southerly range than the Baltimore oriole 

 and less conspicuous coloring, the orchard oriole is not so 

 familiar a bird in many Northern states, where, neverthe- 

 less, it is quite common enough to be classed among om: 

 would-be intimates. The orchard is not always so close to 

 the house as this bird cares to venture; he will pursue an in- 

 sect even to the piazza vines. One which used to come close 

 to the house to feed on basket worms dangling from a 

 tamarisk bush, returned long after the last worm was eaten 

 whenever someone touched the piano keys. Orioles have 

 a quick ear for music. 



This oriole's song, says John Burroughs, is Hke scarlet, 

 "strong, intense, emphatic," but it is sweet and is more 

 rapidly uttered than that of others of the family. It ends 

 for the season early in July. 



A beautiful nest — not often pendent like the Baltimore's, 

 but seciu-ely placed in the fork of a sturdy fruit tree, at a 

 moderate height, and woven with skill and precision, like a 

 basket — ^is built by the orchard oriole. When the dried 

 grasses from one of these nests were stretched and mea- 

 ured, all were found to be very nearly the same length, 

 showing to what pains the little weaver had gone to make 

 the nest neat and pliable, yet strong. Four cloudy, white 



