The Birds' Calendar 



that is ludicrous in so small a bird it deliberately 

 walks about, but withal as innocent of any as- 

 sumption as a child. The song also is striking, 

 indeed literally so, for the notes come like a suc- 

 cession of little explosions, quite startling when 

 in close proximity to the bird. As in the case 

 of most of the warblers, its vocalization can 

 scarcely be dignified by the name of song, 

 being the reiteration of a pair of notes on almost 

 the same pitch, but louder and louder, which 

 has been aptly compared to the reiteration of 

 teacher, teacher, TEACHER. The coloring, 

 too, in the spring, is elegant if not brilliant, be- 

 ing of a rich shade of olive above, and beneath 

 white with dark spots, and the head ornamented 

 with orange and black stripes. It is one of the 

 largest of the warblers (fully six inches long), 

 and was formerly classed with the thrushes, 

 looking like a dwarfed species of that family. 

 The name of oven-bird is due to the form of 

 its nest, which is placed on the ground and 

 built over, resembling a rude oven. 



Everyone who attempts to describe a bird's 

 plumage realizes how inadequate language is to 

 convey a just idea of the richness and peculiar 

 beauty of nature's living tints. Even in a 

 stuffed specimen the delicate shade has often 



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