THE BALTIMORE ORIOLE, OR HANG-NEST. 41 



confinement. I have seen one reared from the nest so gentle as to follow 

 and come to its owner, whenever he called to it. They do not breed in the 

 lower parts of South Carolina, but are found not unfrequently breeding at 

 the distance of a hundred miles from the sea-coast of that State. It is not 

 uncommon in Nova Scotia. 



It will be seen from the above that Wilson and all who have copied him 

 have erred in alleging, that the males of this species do not acquire their full 

 plumage until the third year. 



The eggs average seven and a half eighths in length, and five and three- 

 fourths in their greatest breadth. They are rather pointed at the smaller end. 



Baltimore Oriole, Oriolus Baltimore, Wils. Amer. Orn., vol. i. p. 23. 

 Icterus Baltimore, Bonap. Syn., p. 51. 



Baltimorr Oriole or Golden Robin, Icterus Baltimore, NutL Man., vol. i. p. 152. 

 Baltimore Oriole, Icterus Baltimore, Aud. Orn. Biog., vol. i. p. 66; vol. v. p. 278. 



Second and third quills longest, fourth longer than first; tail slightly 

 rounded. Male with the head, throat, sides, and hind part of the neck, with 

 the fore part of the back, black; lower parts, rump, upper tail-coverts, and 

 smaller wing-coverts rich orange, passing into orange-red on the breast; 

 wings black, the secondary coverts largely tipped, and the quills margined 

 with white; tail black, all the feathers tipped with rich yellow, the outer for 

 half their length, the middle on a very small space. Female considerably 

 smaller, with the upper part of the head, hind neck, sides of the neck at the 

 middle, and anterior half of the back, brownish-black, the feathers edged with 

 dull yellowish-green; hind part of the back light brownish-}^ellow, purer on 

 the rump; tail yellowish-brown, the middle feathers darker; wing-coverts 

 blackish-brown, quills dark brown, all margined with whitish; first row of 

 small coverts and secondary coverts largely tipped with white; loral space, 

 a band over the eye, and another beneath it, dull yellow; below the latter 

 the cheeks spotted with dusky; lower parts yellowish-orange, duller than in 

 the male, paler behind; some dusky streaks on the throat. Young similar 

 to the female, but with the upper parts brownish-yellow, the head and back 

 faintly spotted with dusky. 



Male, 7f, 12. Female, 7, 11. 



In summer dispersed over the United States, to Nova Scotia. Columbia 

 river. Texas. Abundant. Migratory. 



A male preserved in spirits presents the following characters. The palate 

 ascends anteriorly, and has two prominent soft ridges, at the anterior 

 extremity of which is a slight protuberance, analogous to that of the 

 Buntings, but only rudimentary or less developed; beyond it is a median 

 broad ridge gradually tapering to the point. The posterior aperture of the 



Vol. IV. 6 



