194 HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS. 
The orioles seem partial to this orchard, and already 
have seven oreight nestsinit. They usually hang them on 
the taller elms, out of reach of cats or boys; but 
the last one that we found is tied to the dry limb of a 
small apple tree, and placed only a little higher than a 
man’s head. In looking into it we disturbed the sitting 
bird, which darted out past us, winnowing the face as 
she flew away with an angry scream. 
In a moment half a dozen orioles of both sexes gath- 
ered about us, scolding and fretting at the disturbance. 
There seems to be a: bond of sympathy between them 
in time of danger, and they pool their forces for the 
common defense. The robins’ nests were very numer- 
ous here, and some of them contained the second set of 
eggs. In one tree were two chippies’ nests of addled 
eggs, and in each nest was an egg of the cow bunting. 
All the spring an albino robin sang in this orchard and 
became an object of much interest to the family until 
two men from the city came out gunning, and one of 
them shot the bird. The life of every beautiful bird is 
endangered when these tramping ruffians are abroad. 
A few days ago I saw two men drive under a shade 
tree, shoot a robin off her nest, throw the bird into the 
wagon, and drive away before we could reach him. 
In the morning, on our way to the woods, we passed. 
through some meadows all abloom with red clover, and 
a score of bobolinks were singing all about us, some on 
the wing, some on the fences, and some from their 
perches on the twigs of bushes and trees; they were 
changing places and breaking in upon one another’s 
