ORN 
of horses. The bottom of tliis nest is hol- 
low for the length of a foot, the remainder 
or upper part, for the space of six inches, is 
solid, and it is suspended at the extremity 
of a branch. It is pai ticularly fond of build- 
ing on trees, near houses, and several hun- 
dreds of these nests have occasionally been 
seen on a single tree. 
O. icterus, or the Banana bird, is found 
in all the Caribbee islands, feeding on in- 
sects, and hopping like a magpie. These 
birds are domesticated in America, for the 
destruction of insects. In a state of na- 
ture, four or five will attack a large bird, 
and appear, after tearing it in pieces, to di- 
vide the spoil with great discrimination. 
They will occasionally attack men. Their 
nests are formed and suspended like those 
of the former species, to guard against 
snakes and other animals. 
The oriohis of Baltimore, or the Balti- 
more bird, is called by the natives, the fire- 
bird, and, when its feathers are most bril- 
liant, naturally excites the idea or sensation 
of fire. These birds form pensile nests, se- 
cure from all depredation. They are about 
seven inches long. 
O. galbula, or the golden oriole, is as large 
as a blackbird, and of a fine golden yellow, 
with wings almost entirely black. It is 
common in several parts of Europe, 
particularly in France ; but not seen, so 
far north even as England. It is sup- 
posed to winter in Africa. Its nest is pen- 
sile, and the female is extremely attentive 
to her young, fearing no enemy in their de- 
fence, suffering herself to be taken in the 
nest with them, arad continuing to sit over 
them in the cage tiU she dies. It feeds on 
insects and fruits, and is considered as a de- 
licacy for the table. 
For the red-rumped oriole, see Aves, 
Plate X. fig. 6. 
ORION, in astronomy, a constellation of 
the southern hemisphere, consisting of thir- 
ty-seven stars, according to Ptolemy; of 
sixty-two, according to Tycho ; and of no 
less than eighty, in the Britannic catalogue. 
The lately improved telescopes have disco- 
vered several thousand stars in this constel- 
lation : of these, there are two of the first 
magnitude, four of the second, and several 
of the third and fourth. Tlie stars of the 
first magnitude are Regel and Betelguese. 
Tlmse of the second, are Bellatrix, on the 
left shoulder, and three in the belt ; lying 
nearly in a right line, and at equal distances 
from each other. 
ORNITHOGALUM, in botany. Star of 
ORN 
Bethlehem, a genus of the Hexandria Mo 
nogynia class and order. Natural order of 
Coronarim. Asphodeli, Jussieu. Essential 
character; corolla six-petalled, upright, 
permanent, spreading above the middle; 
filaments alternate, widening at the base. 
Ihere are thirty-five species. 
ORNITHOLOGY, that branch of natu- 
ral history which considers and describes 
birds, their natures and kinds, their form, 
external and internal, and teaches their eco- 
nomy and uses ; see Aves ; also the seve- 
ral orders and genera in the alphabetical 
order. Birds are divided, ;^ccording to the 
form of their bills, into six orders, viz. Ac- 
cipitres, as eagles, vultures, and hawks: 
Pic®, as crows, jackdaws, humming-birds, 
and parrots : Anseres, as ducks, geese 
swans, gulls : Grail®, as herons, woodcocks, 
and ostriches : Gallin®, as peacocks, phea- 
sants, turkies, and common fowls : and Pas- 
seres, comprehending sparrows, larks, swal- 
lows, &c. 
Birds are distinguished from quadrupeds, 
by their laying eggs: they are generally 
feathered ; some few are hairy, and instead 
of hands or fore-legs, they have wings. 
Their eggs are covered by a calcareous 
shell, and they consist of a white, or albu- 
men, which first nourishes the chick during 
incubation ; and a yolk, which is so suspend- 
ed within it as to preserve the side on 
which the little rudiment of the chicken is 
situated continually uppermost, and next 
to the mother that is sitting upon it. The 
yolk is in great measure received into the 
abdomen of the chicken, a little before the 
time of its being hatched, and serves for 
its support, like the milk of a quadruped, 
and like the cotyledons of young plants, un- 
til the system is become sufficiently strong 
for extracting its own food out of the ordi- 
nary nutriment of the species. 
ORNITHOPUS, in botany, bird’s foot, 
a genus of the Diadelphia Decandi ia class 
and order. Natural order of Papilionace®, 
or Legumioos®. Essential character; le- 
gume jointed, round, bowed. There are 
five species. 
ORNITHORHYNCHUS paradoxus, in 
natural history, a singular quadruped, re- 
markable for its structure. The head is si- 
milar to that of a duck, which would lead 
tf the supposition that it belonged to an 
aquatic bird. Both jaws are as broad and 
low as those in a duck, and the. calvaria has 
no traces of a suture as is generally the case 
in full-grown birds. In the cavity of the 
skull there is a considerably bony falx, 
F 2 
