The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-30
ECKSTEIN'S

but the oriole went about their business
elsewhere. The oriole had not said
word so far, and beyond countenancing
the hubbub by his presence had no part
in H. The squirrel. having dropped the
baby catbird, cooked itself upon "A limb
and began TO chatter I'm a defiant way,
while the oriole sat not far away looking
at H. but doing nothing else. But after
a few moments the squirrel left It's seat
and ran out on the limb IL had been sit
ting on until IL had 10 use care 10 Keep Its
hold, and then the orioles opportunity
for a terrible assault had come. Flashing
across the space he struck the chipmunk
in one eye with its sharp pointed beak,
and then turning Instantly struck the
other eye I'm like manner. Quivering with
pain the squirrel let go the limb and
dropped TO the ground, where It rolled and
struggled about apparently In the throes
of death. The oriole few away 10 his fav-
orite elm. where he sang In his most
brilliant fashion. The lady put the SPUR
rel out Of It's misery and then saw that
the oriole had destroyed both eyes.
Among ethnologists the aboriginal tribes
are not lnfrequently classified according
TO their skill as architects. The Apaches
with the twlg windbreaks were put In
one class, the Comanches and Sioux with
their skin tents were in another, while the
Puebloes with their stone and mud-walled
houses we're In a third. The AXtecs with
their cut stone architecture we're classified
higher sull, and on the present peak of
civilization we find the steel structures OF
the American metropolis. With this In
view, consider the nests of birds-the eggs
OF gulls that are laid on a bare rock or
the sand; the little hollow in the sod where
the least sand piper lays Its eggs; the mud
and stick mass that the robin builds in the
crotch of tree, and the viroe's hammock
suspended under the fork Of limb. These
are all interesting; but the Baltimore orr
ole stands above all, with his long. gourd-
shaped pocket swinging from the end Of
a 1.-THE limb Of an elm. Flaxlike threads
of weed bark and horse hairs are the most
common material used, but better Is taken
when Il can be had. A lady who was one
day doing some embroidery by the open
window In the Orange Mountains. in New
Jersey, left her work In the window for
few moments to go to another part Of the
house. When she returned lot Of colored
silk threads she had had ready for use
were nowhere TO be found. nor did she see
them again until the leaves were falling
from the trees. when a neighbor brought
them TO her. They had been woven into
an orioles nest.
Instinct might lead bird to catch up
suitable material for his nest anywhere,
but when an oriole was repeatedly seen
going into a horse stable TO get hairs, the
act showed that he could distinguish be-
tween hay barns and stables. Then, too,
the nests that he builds in Georgia are
woven Of coarse 6bers and are open like a
net, so that one can see the eggs through
the meshes. Moreover, the nests there
are all to be found on the north side Of the
trees In the AdirOndacks the nests are
woven so thick that they are not only
warm, but rainproof.
Stories like these of the doings Of the
oriole might be multiplied but the reader
who is interested in such matters can
learn others for himself. The oriole Is a
bird of most conspicuous colors. The
head, neck, throat, and the upper part
of the back are deep black; so are most
of the wing feathers. The breast, the belly,
patches on the wings, and the base Of the
tail are a flaming orange. AS he darts
through the green top Of tree In June 1t
is as If a flash of lightning had been seen.
They can be found in Central Park, and
in all the temperate region, for that mat
ter. II will be an easy matter for the
tourist to find one near his country lodge,
and II he have taste for such things It
will be a delight 70 watch the birds do
ings. for the Baltimore oriole is the finest
gentleman of all the feathered hosts.
M. LabOrde. a distinguished French sa-
want, contributes to La Revue Scientifnue
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