Identifier: ournortherneastex00samu (find matches)
Title: Our northern and eastern birds : containing descriptions of the birds of the northern and eastern states and British provinces; together with a history of their habits, times of arrival and departure, their distribution, food, song, time of breeding, and a careful and accurate description of their nests and eggs
Year: 1883 (1880s)
Authors: Samuels, Edward A. (Edward Augustus), 1836-1908
Subjects: Birds -- United States
Publisher: New York : R. Worthington
Contributing Library: Claire T. Carney Library, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Digitizing Sponsor: Claire T. Carney Library, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

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d third quills are longest; the first intermediate betweenthe fourth and fifth. The tail is rather long; the feathers moderately graduated, thegreatest difterence in length amounting to half an inch. The black of the throat extends backwards as far as the bend of tlie wing, andends as an obtuse angle. The tail feathers are entirely black, with dull whitish tipswhen not fully mature. Specimens are found in all stages between the characters given above. Whennearly mature, some yellowish feathers are found mixed in with the chestnut ones. Length of specimens, seven and twenty-five one-hundredths inches; wing, threeand twenty-five one-hundredths inches. This bird is rather rare in New England, and is confinedto the southern districts as a summer visitor. It arrivesabout the second week in May, and commences buildingabout the first week in June. The nest is usually placed ina forked branch of a tree in the orchard, seldom more thantwenty feet from the ground. It is constructed of different
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Orchard Oriole, Tcterus spurius. Bonaparte. THE ORCHARD ORIOLE. 347 grasses, which are woveu together very neatly and compactly: the whole is lined with fine grass, and sometimes afew horsehairs. It is not pensile, but is built on the branchThe eggs are four or five in number : tlieir color varies froma light-blue to a fleshy tint, which is marked with irregu-lar spots and lines of obscure lavender, over which are boldspots and blotches of black and brown. The dimensionsvary from .86 to .56 by .54 inch. But one brood is rearedin the season. Nuttall, in describing the habits of this species, says,— The Orchard Oriole is an exceedingly active, sprightly, andrestless bird: in the same instant almost, he is on the ground aftersome fallen insect; fluttering amidst the foliage of the trees, pryingand springing after his lurking prey ; or flying, and tuning his livelynotes in a manner so hurried, rapid, and seemingly confused, thatthe ear is scarce able to thread out the shrill and lively

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