BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 
217 
are in allusion to the orange coloration, brightest on the breast, but 
varying in amount as well as brilliancy with age and season. He is also 
called Hang-nest and Hanging-bird, from the fact that he, assisted by 
his mate, constructs a most elaborate pensile nest, so frequently seen 
swinging in the pendant branches of the drooping willow, the spreading 
elm, the stately poplar or the tall sycamore. Nest building, in this 
locality, is begun late in May or early in June. The male devotes him¬ 
self, principally, to collecting the building materials, while upon the 
female, Mr. Gentry states, “ devolves the duty of weaving the ingre¬ 
dients together, which is the labor of a week of almost steady applica¬ 
tion.” The nest, composed of various materials,* such as strings, pieces 
of lint, rags, plant-fibers, hair, etc., which are capable of being woven 
together, is always suspended from the pendulous branches of a tree 
either in an orchard, lawn or woods. The bottom of this swaying, cylin- 
dric and poucli-like abode is lined with different downy substances. The 
nests are generally so placed that they are sheltered by a bunch of 
leaves hanging from above, sometimes, however, when insufficient protec¬ 
tion is thus furnished by nature, these weaver-birds, to shield their hid¬ 
den treasures from sun and rain, will construct a canopy of strings, etc., 
above the top of their house. The eggs, commonly five in number, are 
a little larger than those of the Orchard Oriole. They are whitish, 
dotted, blotched, spotted and sinuously lined with black and brown. 
1 The Baltimore Oriole feeds chiefly on various forms of insect-life. The 
destructive apple-tree caterpillars, as w r ell as other caterpillars, are de- 
stroyed in great quantities by these birds, who not only subsist to a 
I considerable extent on these and other larvae, but likewise, Nuttall states, 
feed their young principally on soft caterpillars. The orioles also cap¬ 
ture large numbers of beetles, flies, spiders, etc., in the fruit and forest 
trees. They occasionally feed on the blossoms of the apple, pear, 
maple and other trees. A juicy cherry is relished, and different kinds 
of small berries are fed upon to a more or less extent. Mr. Gentry in 
relation to this species says: “This oriole deserves our favor and 
I esteem for the numerous insects of an injurious character which it de- 
I stroys, which thus compensate for the trifling injuries which it commits 
in the destruction of the succulent pea and the blossoms of the cherry 
and apple which it rifles of their stamens and ovaries.” 
To Prof. A. Wanner, of York, Pa., I am indebted for the following in¬ 
teresting note concerning this species: “Several years ago I observed 
some Baltimore Orioles in my yard opening the rough (on the exterior) 
almond-shaped cocoons that hung from the limbs of fruit trees. The 
birds systematically hunted limb after limb in quest of the cocoons, 
* The following interesting extract is taken from a letter sent to the author by Dr. John W. Detwiller. 
of Northampton county : ‘ * The late Dr. H. Detwiller, of Easton, Penna. ,had a female Baltimore Oriole 
in confinement for several years. It became so tame that it had the liberty to fly about the house as it 
pleased: it built a nest from the Doctor's gray hair which it would pull from his head. This remarkable 
piece of bird architecture is now in the possession of Mr. Minnot, of Germantown, Pennsylvania.” 
