Birds and Nature Vol. 9 No. 5 [May 1901]

Оглавление

Various. Birds and Nature Vol. 9 No. 5 [May 1901]

MAY

AUDUBON’S ORIOLE

TO A SEA-BIRD

FROM AN ORNITHOLOGIST’S YEAR BOOK

THE MARBLED GODWIT

A BIRD-JOKE AT LEAFY LAWN

THE RUSTY BLACKBIRD OR GRACKLE

WHAT EVOLUTION MEANS

THE SURF SCOTER

A BACK-YARD CLASS

THE AMERICAN ELK OR WAPITI

A FRIENDLY FIELD MOUSE

THE OPENING OF WINTER BUDS

THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS

THE NAUTILUS AND OTHER CEPHALOPODS

THE TRAILING ARBUTUS

TRAILING ARBUTUS

THE MOUNTAIN LAUREL

HOPS

AWAKENING

Отрывок из книги

The name oriole is from the French word oriol, which is a corruption of the Latin word aureolus, meaning golden. The name was originally applied to a vire, but is now used in a much wider sense and includes a number of birds.

The true orioles are birds of the Old World and are closely related to the thrushes. It is said that no fewer than twenty species from Asia and Africa have been described.

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Regarding the nesting habits of the Audubon’s Oriole, Captain Charles Bendire says, “The nest of this Oriole is usually placed in mesquite trees, in thickets and open woods, from six to fourteen feet from the ground. It is a semipensile structure, woven of fine, wire-like grass used while still green and resembles those of the hooded and orchard orioles, which are much better known. The nest is firmly attached, both on the top and sides, to small branches and growing twigs and, for the size of the bird, it appears rather small. One now before me measures three inches in depth inside by about the same in inner diameter. The rim of the nest is somewhat contracted to prevent the eggs from being thrown out during high winds. The inner lining consists of somewhat finer grass tops, which still retain considerable strength and are even now, when perfectly dry, difficult to break. Only a single nest of those found was placed in a bunch of Spanish moss and this was suspended within reach of the ground; the others were attached to small twigs.”

The number of eggs vary from two to five and “sets of one or two eggs of this Oriole, with two or three cowbird’s eggs, seem to be most frequently found, some of the first named eggs being thrown out to make room.” The eggs are ovate in form and the general color varies from white with a bluish cast to white with a grayish cast and in some instances a purple shade predominates. The markings vary greatly both in color and form. They may be either thread-like, in streaks or in blotches. In color they may be various shades of either brown, purple or lavender.

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