82 WESTERN SERIES OF READERS. 



It does not fear to build near homes, though it 

 frequently chooses a site far from habitations. 

 The nest is large and firmly made, usually set on 

 the branch of a tree six or ten feet from the 

 ground. It is said to be very handsome, with its 

 twigs and everlasting-weed, and hairs and root- 

 lets. The eggs are usually four, greenish white, 

 with dots and dashes of red, brown, or lavender. 

 The old birds are said to share the habit of many 

 parent birds, in dragging themselves along the 

 ground and making believe they are wounded 

 when the nest is approached. After all, it may 

 be but little loss to us that these warblers do not 

 live with us the year round, as we now have them 

 in winter, when many other birds have left us. 

 And they are among the most pleasing of all the 

 birds. Their habits are an interesting study. 

 What we owe to their sharp little black beaks and 

 toes, nobody can quite tell. Without these birds, 

 our best trees might be ruined by the beetle folk 

 which live between the bark and the wood, bur- 

 rowing long tunnels in which to have a good time 

 of their own. Note how warbler runs up and 

 down, peeping under the loose bark, clinging to 

 dead little stems, and " pecking at nothing," as 

 far as we may see. But he knows his own trade 

 full well, and his ear is as sharp as his eye. He 



