54 Bird Studies. 



black of the throat from that of the top of the head and back. The rump 

 and lower parts except the throat are orange. The shoulders are black, and 

 there is a broad white patch on the wing. The tail is orange and black. 

 The female is much like the female of the Baltimore Oriole in general 

 appearance, but is noticeably larger. The birds are about eight inches and 

 a half long. 



The nesting and breeding are much' the same as in the Baltimore Oriole, 

 and it takes the place of that bird in the West. 



Troupial. The Troupial, a South American bird, was recorded 



Icterus icterus cLinn.1. by Audubon as accideutal at Charleston, South Carolina. 



Some account will now be given by word and picture of how young birds 



grow. The nest on the opposite page is that of the Blue Jay. It is made 



of coarse twigs and roots lined with finer material, and 



^ "^. -f^^' . , thoug-h firm and strong is rather loose in construction, even 



Cyanocitta cristata (Linn.). ^ .. ^ . 



' in the lining. This nest was placed on a horizontal limb 



of a beech tree, where it forked, and was further supported by the upright 

 small branches that grew at right angles to the main limbs. It was about 

 eighteen feet from the ground, thirty feet from a dwelling, and almost over a 

 road where there was constant traffic. Hemlocks, beeches, and other large 

 trees close by afforded deep shade which rarely admitted any sunshine even 

 on the brightest days. 



In the nest at the time the photograph was made there was one young 

 bird just hatched and three eggs on the point of hatching. One of these was 

 " pipped," and shows this condition plainly in the picture. This nest was 

 found at South Orange, New Jersey, in a yard on the Ridgewood Road, a 

 street on which there are many residences quite close together. The date 

 on which the photograph was made was June i6, 1897. 



For the first six days the four dusky colored chicks were practically 

 blind and naked. They could raise their heads to receive the food constantly 

 supplied by their parents, and elevate their bodies at intervals to evacuate 

 faeces, which were immediately removed from the nest by one of the old birds. 

 A far more continuous movement was that of their feet, which were opening 

 and closing on the fine roots and twigs composing the loose lining of the 

 nest, almost without interruption. 



