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THE ORCHARD ORIOLE , OR BOB-O’-LINH. 145 
A closely allied species, the Orchard Oriole, or Bob-o’- 
link ( Xanthornis variits ), is equally notable for its skill in nest- 
building — if such a word may be used of a structure which is 
begun at the top and carried downwards, after the fashion 
employed in Laputa. 
It is a pretty bird, but not so pretty as the Baltimore Oriole, 
and the tints are very differently disposed, scarcely any two 
individuals having the colours in exactly the same places. 
Like the Baltimore Oriole, it is extremely variable in different 
stages of its existence, the young male bearing great resem- 
blance to the mature female, and not attaining its full beauty 
until its third year. When adult, the whole of the head, neck, 
upper part of the back, breast, wings, and tail, are deep black, 
and a rich ruddy chestnut hue occupies the remainder of the 
breast, the under parts of the body, and part of the wing- 
coverts, some of which are tipped with white. The young male 
and the adult female are yellowish olive above, instead of 
black, with brown wings, and yellow on the breast and ab- 
domen ; while the male of the second year has much the same 
colours, but is known by a patch of black over the head and 
on the throat, together with a few chestnut feathers on the 
flanks and abdomen. It is smaller than the Baltimore Oriole, 
and more slenderly made. 
The nest of this bird is almost as variable in structure as is 
its architect in colour, its form being accommodated to the 
situation in which it is placed. When fastened to a tolerably 
stout branch, its depth is less than its diameter, and it is firmly 
tied in several directions to prevent the wind from upsetting it. 
But when it is slung to a long and slender branch, over which 
the wind has great power, and which is swung to a distance of 
fourteen or fifteen feet in a smart breeze, the nest is made of 
much greater depth, and is of a lighter construction. The 
weeping willow is a favourite tree with this bird, as the 
drooping leaves conceal the nest effectually, and the delicate 
twigs can be gathered together so as to support the entire 
circumference of the entrance. 
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