BIRDS OF THE PASTURE AND FOREST. 99 



notes are associated with summer noondays in the deep 

 woods, and when bursting upon the ear in the silence of 

 noon, they disperse all melancholy thoughts as if by en- 

 chantment. 



Samuels says he has listened to the song of this bird 

 at all hours of the night, in the mating and incubating 

 season. The bird seems to soar into the air, and to sing 

 while hovering in a slow descent. He has noticed the 

 same habit in the Maryland Yellow-Throat. Dr. Brewer 

 says the Oven-Bird " has two very distinct songs, each in 

 its way remarkable." I have noticed that many species 

 of birds are addicted occasionally to a kind of soliloquiz- 

 ing ; warbling in a low tone, not very audibly and appar- 

 ently for their own amusement. It is seldom that these 

 soliloquizing notes bear any resemblance to the usual 

 song of the bird ; and I have heard them from the Chicka- 

 dee and other birds that have no song. 



The oven-shaped nest of this bird has always been an 

 object of curiosity. It is placed upon the ground under 

 a knoll of moss, or a tuft of weeds and bushes, and is neatly 

 woven of long grass and fibrous roots. It is covered with 

 a roof of the same materials, and a round opening is made 

 at the side for entrance. The nest is so ingeniously cov- 

 ered with grass and assimilated to the surface around it, 

 that it is not easily discovered. But it is said that the 

 Cowbird is able to find it, and uses it as a depository for 

 its eggs. 



THE GREEN WARBLER. 



Those who are accustomed to rambling in the forest 

 may have observed that pine woods are remarkable for 

 certain collections of mosses which have cushioned a pro- 

 jecting rock or the decayed stump of a tree. When 

 weary with heat and exercise, it is delightful to sit down 

 upon one of these green velveted couches and take note 



