Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-09-08
The baltimore OaoIe.


more, has hold upon the fecollections of
mankind far surprising that secured by
any monument IN the noble city which he
founded, in the fact that the most charm
ing bird that makes lis summer home in
the parks of that city bears his name. That
bird is the Baltimore oriole-IcterUs Bald
more of LinnRus. Its plumage is pattern
ed in orange and black, the baronial colors
of the noble lold's livery, and Linneus on
ly paid an appropriate compliment TO the
source TO which he owed his specimen Of
the new species when, in l7GG, he recug-
nized the coincidence in the name.
Then as now the orioels were among the
most beautiful and conspicuous of wood
land birds. From their winter retreat un-
der the tropics they return northward as
the warm weather advances, arriving in
Maryland during the latter part OF April,
and reaching Central New England by the
middle of May. In these migrations, per-
formed mostly by day, they fly continuous
ly and in a straight line high overhead.
About sunset they halt, and ultering few
low notes, dive into tho thickets TO feed,
and afterward 10 rest. They do not go in
flocks, but singly, or two or three together.
The males come TO us in advance, and in
stantly announce their presence by loud
and Joyous song, in the execution of which
they continually emulate one another dur
ing the week or more that elapses before the
arrival of The females. But this emulation
does not end with vying in song they have
pitched battles, chasing each other from
tree TO tree and through the branches with
angry notes. The coming of the females
offers some diversion to these pugnacious
cavaliers, or at least furnishes a new cdSuS
6elh; for, while they devote themselves
with great ardor TO wooin- aud winning
their coy mistresses, their jealousy is easily
aroused, and their fighting is often iesum-
ed. Even the lady-lovers sometimes for
get themselves SO far as to savagely attack
their fancied rivals, or drive out of sight
the chosen mate Of some male bird whom
they want for themselves. This is not all
fancy, but lamentable fact.
Mademoselle Oriole is not so Snowy as
her gay beau. Persuade the pair 10 keep
quiet a moment, and compare them. They
are in size between a bluebird and robin,
but rather more slender than either. The
plumage of the male is Of a rich but vary
ing orange upon all the lower parts, under
meath the wings, upon the lower part of the
back, and the outer edges of the tail the
throat, head, neck, the part between the
shoulders, wing quilts, and middle fail
feathers are velvety black the bill and
feet are blush there is white ring around
the eye, and the lesser wing quilts are edged
with white. In the female the pattern Of
color is the same, but the tints are duller
The jet of the males head and neck is rusty
in his mate, and each feather is margined
with olive. The orange part of the plum
age is more like yellow in the female, and
wing and tail quilts are spotted and dirty.
Three years are required for the orioles to
receive their complete plumage, the grad
ual change of which is beautifully repre-
scented in one of Audubon's gigantic plates.
"Sometimes the whole tail Of (young)
male individual in spring Is yellow, some
times only the two middle feathers are
black, and frequently the black on the back
| is skirted with orange, and the tail tipped
with the same color" Much confusion
arose among the earlier naturalists from
| this circumstance.
The nging of the males is at lis height
now that the females have come, and they
are to be heard, not only from field and
grove and country way-side, but in the
streets of villages, and even in the parks of
cities, where they are recognized by every
school boy, who calls them fire-birds,
| golden-robins, Lang nests, and Baltimore
birds. The lindened avenues Of PhiIadel-
phia, the elm-emb powered precincts of New
Haven, the sacred trees Of Boston Com
mon, the classic shades OF Harvard Square,
and the malls of Central Park all echo TO
their spring-time musc.-ErneSt IngerSou,
| in Harp er'S Magazine.