———— eS OS ee a. ae ee i ee et Pe OE ee ia. 
The Birds’ Calendar 
that is ludicrous in so small a bird it deliberately 
walks about, but withal as innocent of any as- 
sumption asa child. The song also is striking, 
indeed literally so, for the notes come like a suc- 
cession of little explosions, quite startling when 
in close proximity to the bird. As in the case 
of most of the warblers, its vocalization can 
scarcely be dignified by the name of song, 
being the reiteration of a pair of notes on almost 
the same pitch, but louder and louder, which 
has been aptly compared to the reiteration of 
teacher, TEACHER, TEACHER. The coloring, 
too, in thespring, is elegant if not brilliant, be- 
ing of a rich shade of olive above, and beneath 
white with darkspots, and the head ornamented 
with orange and black stripes. It is one of the 
largest of the warblers (fully six inches long), 
and was formerly classed with the thrushes, 
looking like a dwarfed species of that family. 
The name of oven-bird is due to the form of 
its nest, which is placed on the ground and 
built over, resembling a rude oven. 
Everyone who attempts to describe a bird’s 
plumage realizes how inadequate language is to 
convey ajust idea of the richness and peculiar 
beauty of nature’s living tints. Even in a 
stuffed specimen the delicate shade has often 
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