The Rambles of an Idler 



see the world as they do. There were warblers 

 everywhere and if the slaughter of insects bore 

 proportion to their activity, the ranks of flies 

 and larvae were surely much depleted. As so 

 often happens, their united voices reached to the 

 dignity of song. Few species will remain. In 

 June, the redstart, summer warbler, Maryland 

 yellow-throat and black and white creeper will 

 ^e all that one is likely to see in a day's ramble, 

 but they are sufficient to brighten any outlook. 

 The oven-bird, too, will be here, but it seems 

 more like a little thrush. One word about its 

 song. It was said some years ago that the notes 

 of this bird were best represented by the word 

 "teacher," uttered five times with a steadily 

 rising inflection. This assertion implies that 

 the accent is on the first syllable, and that the 

 sound of E is prominent, followed by the roll of 

 an R. Possibly so in the northern woods, but I 

 have been listening to one of these birds for sev- 

 eral days, as I have listened to others for forty 

 years past, watching it closely and taking my 

 observations early and late, in clear weather 

 and when the air was laden with moisture, and 

 can say confidently that the word "teacher" 

 bears no resemblance whatever to the oven- 



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