"The miller said it must be a field-mouse's nest that some birds had stolen. But in the fall I took the nest home and I saw it was a real bird's nest, all woven round of strong grass with finer kinds for a lining; and there were dead leaves on the outside, so that the top looked like all the rest of the ground. I had often heard that loud singing before, but this was the first time I had a good look at the bird and his nest, and the miller won't believe now that it's a bird's nest either." "What trade does the Ovenbird belong to?" asked Dodo. "He ought to be a baker if he lives in an oven." "He is a Ground Gleaner and a Tree Trapper," said the Doctor, while the children laughed merrily at Dodo's idea of a baker bird. The Ovenbird Length about six inches. Upper parts frog green, with a rusty-yellow streak between two black lines on the crown. Lower parts white, with black streaks on the breast and sides. A Summer Citizen as far west as Kansas and north to Alaska, wintering far south. THE MARYLAND YELLOW-THROAT "Now we come to three very jolly Warblers with bright feathers and perfectly distinct ways of their own. They are the Maryland Yellow-throat, the Yellow-breasted Chat, and the American Redstart. The Maryland Yellow-throat is the merry little bird who puts his head on one side to peep at you through his black mask, and then flits further along to a thicket or clump of bushes, calling persuasively--'Follow me-é, follow me-é, follow!' He is trying to coax you into a game of hide-and-seek; but if you play with him you will soon find that you must do all the seeking, for he intends to do the hiding himself. [Illustration: Maryland Yellow-Throat. 1 Male. 2. Female.] "Does he wish to show you his deep narrow nest, made of grape-vine bark, old leaves, and grass? Not he; being crammed full of good spirits he simply wants you to share them and have a race. Sometimes he will stop a moment quite near and call--'I-spy-it, I-spy-it,' and then fly off and challenge you to a new chase. Or sometimes, if two or three call at once, you will stray away from your path without knowing it. "They are very gentle, lovable little birds too, and sing all through the summer when many of the better singers have grown silent." "The Yellow-throat must be what I've called the Black-faced Yellowbird," said Rap. "Please, Doctor, does he sometimes fly right up in the air to sing a little bit and then go back into the bushes as if he had changed his mind?" "Yes, Rap, that is one of the Yellow-throat's habits in late summer, but one that very few people notice." The Maryland Yellow-throat Length about five and a half inches. Upper parts olive-green, in the male with a black mask reaching along each side of the head, and behind this an ashy-white border; but the female wears no mask. Under parts bright yellow, growing white on belly. A Summer Citizen of the United States from Georgia to Canada.