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See also: bird, from its See also: golden colouring—the Orioles galbula of Linnaeus—but now commonly used in a much wider sense
.
The golden See also: oriole, which is the type of the Passerine See also: family Oriolidae, is a far from uncommon spring-visitor to the See also: British Islands, but has very rarely bred there
.
On the continent of See also: Europe it is a well-known if not an abundant bird, and its range in summer extends so far to the See also: east as See also: Irkutsk, while in winter it is found in See also: Natal and See also: Damaraland
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In See also: India it is replaced by a closely allied See also: form, O. kundoo, the See also: mango-bird, chiefly distinguishable by the male possessing a black streak behind as well as in front of the See also: eye; and both in See also: Asia and See also: Africa are several other See also: species more or less resembling O. galbula, but some depart considerably from that type, assuming a black See also: head, or even a glowing See also: crimson, instead of the ordinary yellow colouring, while others again remain See also: constant to the dingy type of plumage which characterizes the See also: female of the more normal form
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Among these last are the aberrant species of the See also: group Mimetes or Mimeta, belonging to the Australian Region, respecting which A
.
R
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See also: Wallace pointed out, first in the Zoological Society's Proceedings (1863, pp
.
26-28), and afterwards in his See also: Malay See also: Archipelago (ii. pp
.
150-153), the very curious signs of " See also: mimicry " (see HONEY-EATER)
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It is a singular circumstance that this group Mimeta first received its name from P
.
P
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See also: King (Survey, &'c. of
See also: Australia, ii
.
417) under the belief that the birds composing it belonged to the family Meliphagidae, which had assumed the appearance of orioles, whereas Wallace's investigations tend to show that the imitation (unconscious, of course) is on theSee also: part of the latter
.
The See also: external similarity of the Mimeta and the Tropidorhynchus of the See also: island of Bourn, oneof the See also: Moluccas, is perfectly wonderful, and has again and again deceived some of the best ornithologists, though the birds are structurally far apart
.
Another genus which has been referred to the Oriolidae, and may here be mentioned, is Sphecotheres, See also: peculiar to the Australian Region, and distinguishable from the more normal orioles by a See also: bare space round the eye
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Orioles are shy and restless birds, frequenting gardens and woods, and living on See also: insects and fruit
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The See also: nest is See also: pocket-shaped, of bark, grass and See also: fibres, and the eggs are See also: white or
See also: salmon-coloured with dark spots
.
The " See also: American orioles " (see See also: IcTERUS) belong to a different Passerine family, the Icteridae
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(A
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