The oriole, which is a great deal
larger than a wren, builds a much larger nest, forming it like a bag,
with a hole in one end, and hangs it on the branch of a tree.
[Illustration]
It is scarcely possible for any harm to come to the young orioles,
when they are lying snugly at the bottom of the deep nest and their
mother is sitting on a twig near by, ready to protect them at the
hazard of her life.
But, for all the apparent security of this nest, so deep, so warm, so
firmly secured to the twigs and branches, the little orioles are not
entirely safe. Their mother may protect them from rain and cold; from
winged enemies and creeping serpents, but she cannot defend them
against the attacks of boys and men. An oriole's nest is such a
curious structure, and the birds are known to be of such fine form and
gorgeous plumage, that many boys cannot resist the temptation of
climbing up after them and, if there are young ones within, of
carrying the whole affair away in order to try and "raise" the young
birds. Sometimes the nest is put in a cage, where the old bird can
come and feed its young, and in other cases the captor undertakes to
do the feeding himself.
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