ORIOLES. 



525 



some naturalists among Gallinaceous Birds ; but Temminck places it 

 in his Insectivorous order, among the Thrushes, and between Cuculus 

 and Pitta. Cuvier places it among the Passerines. Vigors places it 

 in the order Rasores, and in the family of the Cracidce. This curious 

 bird has a long compressed bill, triangular at the base. It owes its 

 name to the peculiar disposition of its tail, which in the male has the 

 exact form of a lyre. The singular development of the feathers of 

 the tail is its chief attraction, for the plumage is dull and sombre in 



Fig. 236. — The Golden Oriole. 



colour. It inhabits forests ; builds its nest in trees, a short distance 

 from the ground; and feeds upon worms and insects, which it seeks 

 for under the dried leaves on the surface of the soil. Its song is 

 described as not unpleasant. 



The Orioles (Oriolus) have the bill long, stout, nearly straight, 

 rather broad at the base, the dorsal line arched, and the tarsi very 

 short. They are found in all the warmer parts of the Old World 

 and in the islands of Oceania. Their plumage is richly coloured, 

 shades of yellow and black blending in great variety. 



The Golden Oriole (Oriolus gallnda, Fig. 236) is about the size 

 of the Blackbird, which it much resembles in form. The plumage is 

 of a bright yellow ; the feathers are oblong, with disunited barbs ; 



