Icterus baltimorei and Populus tremuloides. — Two specimens of 
the American aspen (Populus tremuloides ) stand in my garden which I 
transplanted from the woods in the spring of 1876. During the latter 
part of May, 1878, I noticed that the trees were being denuded very rapidly 
of their leaves and I could not detect the presence of worm or fly by the 
use of a glass of twenty diameters. The leaves did not appear to have 
been eaten by insects but torn away piecemeal, leaving ragged edges, and 
not infrequently the leaf-stalks broken off or hanging loosely to the branch. 
About three-fourths of the leaves disappeared in this manner in the space 
of fifteen or twenty days from one tree and nearly all from the other. A 
second set of leaves was produced in June and the trees made a strong and 
healthy growth during the remainder of the season. In 1879 the denuda- 
tion was again commenced in like manner at the same season of the year. 
I could not charge it to the wind because other trees in the garden were 
not so affected and my meteorological record forbade any such cause. 
Upon careful watching while at work in the garden I detected a Baltimore 
Oriole eating the leaves with evident relish. The bird stood on a branch 
and picked at and tore off the leaves, eating them with as much apparent 
enjoyment as our domestic fowls eat the leaves of the plantain. 
I watched him closely for a while and upon going towards the tree he 
flew away, uttering his rattle in such a tone that it required no stretch of 
the imagination to think that he was somewhat irritated at being molested 
in his gastronomic proclivities. He soon returned, however, accompanied 
by a female, and the pair continued to eat for several minutes, interlarding 
the feast with various acts of courtship, and then flew off, each with a leaf 
or part of one in the beak. The same act was repeated during the day and on 
succeeding days until the trees were nearly as bare of leaves as in winter. 
As in the former year, a second set of leaves appeared and though the 
trees received a check in their growth, they recovered, increased in size 
and ripened their wood in due season. A similar destruction of leaves 
was performed by the same species of bird — probably the same pair — in 
1880, and the trees recovered their wonted vigor by repeating the process 
of preceding years. The second set of leaves were not eaten by the birds 
in either year, though they were in the garden more or less every day 
during the summer and frequently alighted in the trees, separately, to- 
gether, and with their young. ' 
I had formerly considered the Icterus baltimorei essentially insectivorous 
and frugivorous; I am now aware that some of them at least are decidedly 
vegetarian once in the year.— Elisha Slade, Somerset , Mass. 
Bull N.Q.C. 6, July, 1881, p, /Sj - /<?£ . 
O^ZdUl/4* 
Icterus galbula. In the latter part of last autumn a Baltimore Oriole 
appeared in a thickly settled residential portion of Springfield, and re- 
mained in that vicinity until the latter part of December, an interesting 
sight to many observers.— Robert 0. Morris, Springfield, Mass. 
Baltimore Oriole. 
On looking over some of tlie back num- 
bers of the O. and O., I noticed a query as 
to the adaptability of the Baltimore Oriole 
(Icterus galbula ) to cage life. I happen 
to be in a position to answer that, when 
taken young, and when a reasonable amount 
of care is bestowed on it, it makes an ex- 
cellent cage bird. I know of one which 
was taken from the nest in July, 1879, 
and he is apparently as healthy and happy 
as any of his confreres, who are in the full 
f their liberty. He is quite 
ry fond of his mistress, and 
affection plainly by his man- 
e approaches his cage. He 
it anything, but he is partic- 
f hard boiled egg, bread and 
d meat. He has also a great 
fresh fruit ; but if that can- 
ned, he takes very kindly to 
“““ 01 preserves, as a substitute. He 
will eat all kinds of bird-seed, if previously 
bruised with a rolling-pin, but not other 
wise. He has never known an hour’s ill 
ness ; his song is as loud, clear and varied 
as that of any Oriole I have ever heard, 
p and he sings continually. During our long 
gp a,id severe Winter great care is necessary 
O to prevent the Orioles suffering from the 
<j cold ’ and for this reason an old shawl is 
£ thrown over his cage every evening, and 
% removed in the morning. He has got so 
O used to this that during the cold weather 
le W ^ c ^es for the shawl every night, and 
CO refuses to go to sleep without it. But the 
?■> most remarkable thing about him is that 
A. he is in beautiful plumage, with not a 
r- feather soiled or broken, although his cage 
is not a particularly large one. W. L. j 
Scott, Ottawa, Canada. 
tHS 
