68 
ORCHARD ORIOLE. 
season, it is difficult sometimes to distinguish between the 
sufferer and the sympathizing neighbour. 
The female of the Orchard Oriole, fig. 1 , is six inches and a 
half in length, and eleven inches in extent ; the colour above is 
a yellow olive, inclining to a brownish tint on the back ; the 
wings are dusky brown, lesser wing-coverts tiptwith yellowish 
white, greater coverts and secondaries exteriorly edged with 
the same, primaries slightly so ; tail, rounded at the extremity, 
the two exterior feathers three quarters of an inch shorter than 
the middle ones; whole lower parts, yellow; bill and legs, 
light blue ; the former bent a little, very sharp pointed, and 
black towards the extremity ; iris of the eye, hazel ; pupil, 
black. The young male of the first season corresponds nearly 
with the above description. But in the succeeding spring he 
makes his appearence with a large patch of black marking the 
front, lores, and throat, as represented in fig. 2. In this 
stage, too, the black sometimes makes its appearance on 
the two middle feathers of the tail ; and slight stains of 
reddish are seen commencing on the sides and belly. The 
rest of the plumage as in the female : this continuing nearly 
the same, on the same bird, during the remainder of the season. 
At the same time, other individuals are found, as represented 
by fig. 3, which are at least birds of the third summer. 
These are mottled with black and olive on the upper parts of 
the back, and with reddish bay and yellow on the belly, sides, 
and vent, scattered in the most irregular manner, not alike in 
any two individuals ; and, generally, the two middle feathers 
of the tail are black, and the others centred with the same 
colour. This bird is now evidently approaching to its perfect 
plumage, as represented in fig. 4, where the black spreads 
over the whole head, neck, upper part of the back, breast, 
wings, and tail ; the reddish bay, or bright chestnut, occupying 
the lower part of the breast, the belly, vent, rump, tail-coverts, 
and three lower rows of the lesser wing-coverts. The black 
on the head is deep and velvety ; that of the wings inclining to 
brown ; the greater wing-coverts are tipt with white. In the 
