AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 197 



"A PRETTY PEDESTRIAN." 



Above the sweet melodies of the numerous other songsters that echo 

 through the woods is the "teacher, teacher, teacher," of the Oven Bird. 

 Ere the last notes of his rapidly uttered ditty have died away they are 

 picked up by and repeated by others in distant parts of the woods. 



At almost the same instant we notice a slight elevation among the 

 leaves ahead of us. Instinctively we know that it is the little oven of 

 the so-called Golden-crowned Thrush. Walking ciuietly up from be- 

 hind, we carefully stoop over and look under the arched roof. Greatly 

 disturbed by this undesirable curiosity, a brownish bird with a spotted 

 white breast hastily dashed out and with many a flirt of her tail objects 

 to our familiarity from a small twig a few feet away. 



Within the oven which by the way was an unusually handsome one 

 even for this artistic bird to construct, were five eggs. Remembering 

 the ease with which we had discovered the nest and thinking that others 

 might do the same we decided to photograph it then, although the 

 light was not very bright in the shaded woods. Having exposed one 

 plate on the nest, we moved the camera back and prepared to get one 

 of the bird herself. She had been watching the operation with a great 

 deal of interest but when we had retired to a little distance, she 

 appeared to lose all interest in the nest or its surroundings. Descend- 

 ing to the ground, she started on a tour of the immediate neighborhood 

 of the nest, and during the next few minutes she reminded me of the 

 name that E. T. Seton has aptly given the Oven Bird, "A Pretty Pedes- 

 trian." It will be noticed in all her wanderings that the nest is the 

 center of attraction although she appears to pay no attention to it. She 

 gradually drew nearer until finally she was perched upon the arched 

 roof and within the scope of the lens. A sharp click, and one more 

 bird had been photographically shot. Owing to the very insufficient 

 light the resulting negative was ciuite thin but with intensification, 

 yielded a passable fair print. 



It was fortunate that we secured it when we did for two days later 

 not a sign of the nest remained except the hollow where it had rested. 

 Whether its disappearance was due to a two or four footed animal will 

 remain a mystery, as both red squirrels and members of the human 

 family roam about the woods in equal numbers. 



