BALTIMORE ORIOLE, 
177 
GENUS IX. — ICTER US, Brisson. 
SUBGENUS II. — ICTERUS. 
50 . ICTERUS BALTIMORUS , DAUDE. — ORIOLUS BALTIMOUUS, WILS. 
BALTIMORE BIRD, OR ORIOLE, 
WILSON, PL. I. FIG. III. MALE. EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. 
This is a bird of passage, arriving in Pennsylvania, 
from the south, about the beginning of May, and 
departing towards the latter end of August, or beginning 
of September. From the singularity of its colours, the 
construction of its nest, and its preferring the apple 
trees, weeping willows, walnut and tulip trees adjoining 
the farm house, to build on, it is generally known, and, 
as usual, honoured with a variety of names, such as 
hang-nest, hanging-bird, golden robin, fire bird, (from 
the bright orange seen through the green leaves, 
resembling a flash of fire,) &c. but more generally the 
Baltimore bird, so named, as Catesby informs us, from 
its colours, which are black and orange, being those of 
the arms or livery of Lord Baltimore, formerly pro- 
prietary of Maryland. 
The Baltimore oriole is seven inches in length ; bill 
almost straight, strong, tapering to a sharp point, black, 
and sometimes lead coloured, above, the lower mandible 
light blue towards the base. Plead, throat, upper part 
of the back and wings, black ; lower part of the back, 
rump, and whole under parts, a bright orange, deepening 
into vermilion on the breast ; the black on the shoulders 
is also divided by a band of orange; exterior edges of 
the greater wing-coverts, as well as the edges of the 
secondaries, and part of those of the primaries, white ; 
the tail feathers under the coverts, orange ; the two 
middle ones, from thence to the tips, are black, the 
next five, on each side, black near the coverts, and 
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