THE OVEN-BIRD. 171 



No. 77. 



OVEN-BIRD. 



A. O. (J. No. 674. Seiurus aurocapillus (Linn.). 



Synonyms. GOLDEN-CROWNED ACCENTOR; GOLDEN-CROWNED THRUSH. 



Description. Adult : Above brownish olive-green ; top of head with two 

 blackish lateral stripes, enclosing a space of orange-brown golden only by cour- 

 tesy more or less veiled by olive-brown tips of feathers ; cheeks washed with 

 color of back ; lores and ring about eye whitish ; below white, heavily spotted 

 across breast and on sides by blackish ; a narrow blackish malar stripe ; bill and 

 feet flesh-colored. Quite variable in size, but little change in plumage with sex 

 or season. Length 5.50-6.50 (139.7-165.1); av. of four Columbus specimens: 

 wing 2.91 (73.9) ; tail 2.05 (52.1) ; bill .44 (11.2)). 



Recognition Marks. Small Sparrow size ; "golden" crown, and head striped 

 above ; general thrush-like appearance. 



Nest, on the ground, a slight depression lined and completely overarched 

 with leaves, grasses, bark-strips and trash, and with entrance at side. Jiggs, 4 

 or 5, white or creamy white, glossy, speckled and spotted freely with reddish 

 brown and sometimes dull lilac. As usual with this family the markings are 

 frequently wreathed about the larger end. Av. size, .80 x .60 (20.3 x 15.2). 



General Range. Eastern North America north to Hudson Bay Territory 

 and Alaska, breeding from Kansas, the Ohio Valley and Virginia northward. In 

 winter Florida, the West Indies, southern Mexico and Central America to Panama. 



Range in Ohio. Abundant summer resident, the invariable accompaniment 

 of lowland woods. 



BEFORE those extinguishers of ornithological enthusiasm, the mos- 

 quitoes, have mustered in full force, it is a pleasure to walk in some dim 

 sequestered wood and watch the antics of the Oven-bird. Not that he is a 

 conscious clown like the Chat ; on the contrary he is often as prim and pre- 

 cise as a Puritan dame. And therein lies the fun ; for it is always amusing to 

 see a birdikin take himself o'er seriously, and go mincing or strutting about 

 with grand airs. It is amusing too is it not? to a person of benevolent 

 intent, when a bird, whose nest has been discovered, goes buzzing about in 

 a mighty huff as tho you were a pirate fleet just landed on his shores. 

 If you have happened upon a ball of grass and leaves like that shown in the 

 illustration, and if the mistress of the "Dutch oven" is at home, you will see 

 such an exhibition of distress, of broken wings and disabled legs, of a shriek- 

 ing and altogether helpless anatomy, as will make your heprt ache, unless 

 yon are wise and laugh. And while the distraught mother is playing lame, 

 the father is adding to the panic by literally falling all over himself in the 

 middle distance of such strenuous stuff is bird-life made. 



