You may possibly mistake this little warbler for a downy woodpecker when first you see him creeping rapidly over the bark of trees, or hanging from the under side of the branches. But when he flits restlessly from twig to twig and from tree to tree without taking time to examine spots thoroughly; especially when he calls a few thin wiry notes--_zee-zee-zee-zee_--you may know he is no woodpecker, but a warbler. Woodpeckers have thick set, high shouldered bodies which they flatten against the tree trunks; the males wear red in their caps, and all have larger, stouter bills than the warbler's. Moreover, no woodpecker is so small as this streaked and speckled little creature who is usually too intent {58} on feeding to utter a single _zee_. You could not possibly confuse him with the diligent, placid brown creeper or with the slate-blue nuthatch which also creeps along the branches on the under or upper side. Some children I know call this black and white warbler the little zebra bird. Would that all warblers were so easily identified! OVEN-BIRD _Called also: The Teacher; Golden-crowned Thrush; The Accentor._ "Teacher--_Teacher_--TEACHER--TEACHER--_TEACHER!_" resounds a penetrating, accented voice from the woods. Who calls? Not an impatient scholar, as you might suppose, but a shy little thrush-like warbler who has no use whatever for any human being, especially at the nesting season in May and June, when he calls most loudly and frequently. Beginning quite softly, he gradually increases the intensity of each pair of notes in a crescendo that seems to come from a point much nearer than it really does. Once heard it is never forgotten, and you can always be sure of naming at least one bird by his voice alone. However, his really exquisite love song--a clear, ringing, vivacious melody, uttered while the singer is fluttering, hovering, high among the tree-tops--is rarely heard, or if heard is not recognised as the teacher's aerial serenade. He is a warbler, let it be recorded, who really can sing, and beautifully, however rarely. [Illustration] The ovenbird who calls "Teacher, _Teacher_, TEACHER, TEACHER, _TEACHER!_" [Illustration] Ovenbird in her cleverly hidden nest. Some of the leaves and sticks have been pulled away from the front to secure her picture. [Illustration] Young ovenbirds on day of leaving nest. {59}