172 THE OVEN-BIRD. 
The life of the Oven-bird is spent for the most part on the ground. Here 
it walks sedately or minces daintily, searching the moist humus for grubs 
and worms, or stirring the dead leaves for hidden treasures. Knowing itself 
obscure the bird often permits a close approach, and it goes scuttling over the 
ground oftener than it flies for shelter. But the Oven-bird is no man-with-the- 
muck-rake. When he would sing it is from the middle branches of a tree, or 
better. Cautious now, suspecting the very tree-toads, the bird mounts a bare 
limb, casts searching glances to left and right, walks toward the end of the 
Vhoto by R. F. Griggs. 
THE OVEN. 
branch, then suddenly surrendering all caution he breaks into utterance. Be- 
ginning easily he gains confidence at every step, until the last phrases pierce 
the woodland and fairly bring the listener to his feet. The crescendo pro- 
ceeds by a series of little explosions with the ictus on the second syllable of 
each pair: pechee, pecheé, pecheé, PECHEE, PECHEEK, PECHEE. John 
Burroughs, writing from the eastern part of New York State, has immor- 
talized this song under the words, “teacher, teacher, teacher,” etc., but im- 
asmuch as he expressly states that the accent is placed on the first syllable, 
the descriptir n evidently does not apply to Ohio birds. 
