8 14 The Sparrow-like Birds 



fuscous with the inner vanes yellow, and the whole under parts bright yellow 

 streaked with rufous. Although belonging to the same genus the Black-throated 

 Blue Warbler (D. c&rulescens) is in striking contrast to the last, being grayish 

 blue above, with the sides of the head and throat jet-black and the remainder 

 of the under parts pure white; there is also a conspicuous white wing-patch. 

 Another handsome species is the Magnolia or Black^and-yellow Warbler (D. 

 maculosa), which has the back black, bordered with olive-green, the rump yellow, 

 the tail black, and the lower parts yellow, with the breast and sides heavily streaked 

 with black. But perhaps handsomest of all is the Blackburnian Warbler (D. 

 blac kbit mice), which has the back black streaked with whitish, the center of the 

 crown black, a line over the eye, a patch behind the ear, and the throat and 

 breast a beautiful rich orange. It has been said of this charming species that 

 "he seems like some bright-plumaged tropical bird who has lost his way and 

 wandered to northern climes." The Myrtle or Yellow-rumped Warbler (D. 

 coronata), already mentioned as a hardier species than most of the other mem- 

 bers of the genus, has the upper parts bluish gray streaked with black, a yellow 

 patch on the crown, rump, and either side of the breast, the throat white and the 

 breast and upper part of the abdomen heavily marked with black. This species 

 is a native of eastern North America, breeding from northern Minnesota and 

 northern New England northward, while in western North America its place is 

 taken by the closely related Audubon's Warbler (D. auduboni), which has the 

 throat yellow instead of white. 



Oven-bird. Among the next few species to demand our attention are some 

 of the sweetest singers of the entire family, such, for instance, as the Oven-bird 

 (Seiurus aurocapillus), which is a common summer resident from Kansas and 

 Virginia northward to Manitoba and Labrador. A little over six inches in 

 length, it has the upper parts, including wings and tail, a brownish olive-green, 

 with the center of the crown pale rufous or ochraceous buff bordered by black 

 lines on either side, while the under parts are white, with the sides of throat, 

 breast, and sides streaked with black. The Oven-bird, or Golden-crowned 

 Thrush, as it is often called, is a shy and retiring bird, even where fairly 

 abundant, and but for his exuberant, albeit somewhat simple not to say monot- 

 onous, song, would be rarely observed. The song Mr. Burroughs renders as 

 teacher, teacher, TEACHER, TEACHER, TEACHER, that is, rising from low to 

 high in a long, reiterated note or chant. The Oven-bird prefers woodland where 

 there is plenty of undergrowth and spends much time on the ground or in the 

 lower branches, only rarely seeking the higher tree-tops. The arched or domed 

 nest is placed on the ground at the base of a tree or on a mossy log, and 

 is rather loosely made of twigs, grass, leaves, and moss, and lined with tendrils 

 and fine rootlets ; the four or five eggs are white or buffy, with numerous brownish 

 markings especially about the larger end. 



Water Thrushes. A much better singer is the Louisiana Water Thrush 

 (S. motacilla) of the eastern United States as far as Minnesota and Connecticut, 

 and its near relative, the Water Thrush (S. noveboracensis) , which spends the 

 nesting season from northern Illinois and northern New England northward. 



