“There are exceptions to everything,” said the Doctor, as he pointed to an old willow tree on the edge of the river woods, where he had taken the children to look for Warblers.  “And the exception among the shy Warblers of these woods is that sociable little black-and-white fellow over there, who is creeping and swinging about the branches as if he was own brother to the Brown Creeper himself.  This Black-and-white Warbler hides his nest in an overturned stump, or on the ground, and you may try for days in vain, to find one.  But at the same time he spends his time running merrily through the orchard trees, even whispering his husky ‘weachy-weachy-twee-twee, tweet’ to the old queen apple by the study window.”

“Is that bird a Warbler?” asked Nat.  “I thought he was some kind of a Nuthatch or a Woodpecker—­he was with a whole lot of them up by the house last week.”

“I used to think so too,” said Rap; “but now I see a difference.  The body and bill of the Nuthatch is stouter, and not such a pretty shape, and his bill almost turns up.  This Warbler is thinner, with a slender bill that curves a little down, like the Brown Creeper’s.  Then too, he has smaller and finer stripes than any Woodpecker.”

[Illustration:  Black-And-White Warbler.]

“What guild does he belong to?” asked Dodo.

“To the Tree Trappers; most of the Warblers belong to this, while some have joined the Sky Sweepers, and a few the Ground Gleaners and Seed Sowers.”

“Look!” said Nat.  “He has spent a long time on one twig and he doesn’t seem to have cleaned off all the insects yet; he must have pretty good eyes.”

“Yes, and more than that,” said the Doctor, “his eyes magnify much more than ours do, so that all objects appear far larger to a bird than they do to us, and they can see insects that we never notice.”

“I wonder if that little Warbler thinks spiders are crabs and flies chickens,” said Dodo, so soberly that all the others laughed heartily.

The Black-and-white Warbler

Length five inches.

Upper parts striped everywhere with black and white.

Under parts white in the middle, with many black stripes on the sides.

Has a weak and wheezy voice.

From its habit of scrambling about tree-trunks and branches, it may be mistaken for a real Creeper, or a Nuthatch, or even a little Woodpecker.

A Summer Citizen of the United States, east of the plains; in winter from Florida southward.

A Tree Trapper.

THE YELLOW WARBLER

(Or SUMMER YELLOWBIRD)

“I know this Warbler by sight already,” said Dodo; “there is one in the low case in the wonder room—­the pretty bird sitting on a fuzzy nest; it looks like a Canary.”

“You may think that he looks like a Canary at a little distance, but not when you are near by,” said the Doctor.  “The Canary has a short, thick, cone-shaped bill suited to cracking seeds, while the Yellow Warbler has the slender bill necessary for prying into small cracks and crannies for insects.  This Warbler also has light rusty streaks on his yellow breast.  Do you remember having ever seen, a Canary with such markings?”