TWENTY-SIX COMMON BIRDS. 
X 3 
first in small companies. The earliest token of spring is often the 
sight, in March, of a flock of Blackbirds, rising and falling as they 
fly, or the sound of their voices from some tall tree, mingling their 
flutings, whistlings and gurglings into a melodious harmony. The 
females are dark brown above, streaked with lighter color, whitish 
below, streaked with darker color. When these arrive and the 
birds have paired, a site is selected for the nest, generally in some 
low bush or tussock in wet ground. The nest is constructed early 
in May, and the birds show great skill in weaving long dry sedges 
for the framework. The eggs, from three to four in number, are 
white, faintly tinged with blue, and curiously scrawled with dark 
brown lines. Besides the ok alee or congaree of the male, both 
sexes have a chuck , a long whistle and a curious chatter when dis¬ 
tressed. The bird is very noisy, particularly when the nest is ap¬ 
proached, and toward evening, when numbers resort to a bed of 
reeds for the night. A few birds winter in southern New Eng¬ 
land, but the majority pass into the southern states. 
BALTIMORE ORIOLE* 14. 
[icterus galbula.] 
The Oriole is the handsomest, and except the Bobolink, the best 
known of our starlings. Its beautiful and skillfully constructed 
nest, hung at our very doors, its startling colors and fine whistling 
notes attract the attention and win the favor of all. The Oriole 
reaches New England in early May; the males precede the females 
by a day or two, and dash at once into the blossoming cherry trees. 
Their food at this time is made up of insects which they seize in 
the buds and blossoms of trees. Later they devour and feed to 
their young quantities of soft-bodied caterpillars, canker worms, etc. 
Let us not forget these services, nor begrudge them the few green 
peas which they steal, The arrival of the female is followed by 
the selection of a nesting site and the construction of the nest. The 
tree on which the faded nest of the previous season still dangles, 
