Wood Warblers 



301 



in search of food for their young. Their quick move- 

 ments and sharply contrasted colors black, white, and 

 reddish orange attract the attention. The pretty 

 cup-shaped nest, made of vegetable fibers, dead grass, 

 and strips of bark, is built in a crotch or on a branch 

 against the tree trunk. 



The ovenbird constructs a nest of roots and dead 

 leaves on the ground in the woods, where the litter of 

 dead leaves and the cover of young spring growth make it 

 difficult to find. The nest is arched or domed like an old- 

 fashioned oven, with a fairly large opening at the side. 

 The ovenbird is called also the " teacher bird," because it 

 seems to say, " Teacher, Teacher, TEACHER, TEACHER, 

 TEACHER, TEACHER, TEACH." Ovenbirds walk 

 about on the ground, and in the spring migration, when 

 they may be seen in towns as well as in the woods, many 

 are killed by cats and probably by English sparrows. 



FIG. 185. Ovenbird. To the right is shown the nest, 

 which is entered by an opening on the side. 



