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Range (Eastern North America breeds) (XV)

Eastern North America; breeds from the Gulf States to Massachusetts and Ontario, and winters in Central America.

Washington, common S. R., Apl. 28 to Sept. Sing Sing, common S. R., May 2 to Aug. 6. Cambridge, S. R., sometimes rather common, May 15 to July.

Nest, pensile, of grasses interwoven, near the extremity of a limb, ten to fifteen feet up. Eggs, FIG. 78. -Orchard Oriole. (Im., 8, second three to five, bluish white, disyear.) (Natural size.) tinctly and obscurely spotted, blotched, and scrawled with fuscous or black, 79 x 58.

Although the Orchard Oriole generally frequents apple orchards, he is entirely at home among the shade trees of our lawns. There is an air of refinement about this bird which seems to pervade his whole life history. He dresses quietly but with excellent taste, his nest is of the choicest materials, while his song suggests the finished effort of a perfectly trained performer. His voice is indeed unusually rich and flexible, and he uses it with rare skill and expression. Words can not describe his song, but no lover of bird-music will be long in the vicinity of a singing Orchard Oriole without learning the distinguished songster's name. 507. Icterus galbula (Linn.). BALTIMORE ORIOLE; FIREBIRD; GOLDEN ROBIN; HANG-NEST. Ad. 8. -Head, neck, throat, and upper back black; breast, belly, lower back, and lesser wing-coverts deep, rich, reddish orange; wings black, the outer margin of the greater coverts and quills edged with white; end half of middle tail-feathers black, base orange; all the others orange, crossed by a black band in the middle. Ad. q. - Upper parts brownish or grayish orange, brighter on the rump; head and back mottled with black; wings fuscous, greater and middle coverts tipped with white; tail like the rump, the middle feathers stained with black; under parts dull orange, throat sometimes spotted with black. L., 7.53; W., 3.52; T., 2.84; B., 70.