172 



THE OVEN-BIRD. 



The life of the Oven-bird is spent for the most part on the ground. Here 

 it walks sedately or minces daintily, searching the moist humus for grubs 

 and worms, or stirring the dead leaves for hidden treasures. Knowing itself 

 obscure the bird often permits a close approach, and it goes scuttling over the 

 ground oftener than it flies for shelter. But the Oven-bird is no' man-with-the- 

 muck-rake. When he would sing it is from the middle branches of a tree, or 

 better. Cautious now, suspecting the very tree-toads, the bird mounts a bare 

 limb, casts searching glances to left and right, walks toward the end of the 



THE OVEN. 



l^iioto by R. F. Griggs. 



branch, then suddenly surrendering all caution he breaks into utterance. Be- 

 ginning easily he gains confidence at every step, until the last phrases pierce 

 the woodland and fairly bring the listener to his feet. The crescendo pro- 

 ceeds by a series of little explosions with the ictus on the second syllable of 

 each pair: pediee, pechee, pcclicc, pEchee, PECHEE, PECHEB. John 

 Burroughs, writing from the eastern part of New York State, has immor- 

 talized this song under the words, "teacher, teacher, teacher," etc., but in- 

 asmuch as he expressly states that the accent is ])laced on the first syllable, 

 the description evidently does not apply to Ohio birds. 



