292 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH STORIES 



as if produced by the emotion of surprize then others clear 

 and sprightly glide after each other, until suddenly, as if 

 the bird had become confused, the voice becomes a hollow 

 bass/' I can compare it to nothing so well as to the 

 Toice of a boy who is just changing from childhood to 

 manhood. 



In a few days the eggs were laid, five of them, of a 

 flesh color spotted with a reddish brown. When four eggs 

 had been laid we happened to notice these birds making 

 a terrific fuss about the nest. We knew that something 

 was wrong, so ran over to find what it was. 



A large blue racer snake had crept into the gooseberry 

 bush and was just ready to help himself to the eggs. The 

 distressed birds were fluttering about, striking at him and 

 using every means within their powers to prevent his 

 etealing their precious eggs. Now we were sure this 

 thicket was a snake's den, but for all that we mustered 

 up enough courage to get a long stick and chase this snake 

 out of the bush. We were afraid he might return and rob 

 the nest, later, but either snakes do not remember as well 

 as do crows and many other wildlings, or else we gave him 

 a thorough scare, for the next day when we examined the 

 nest instead of all of the eggs being gone there were five 

 instead of four. The mother bird began sitting at once and 

 in twelve days there were baby birds in the nest. Two 

 broods were raised that summer. 



While I did not have the opportunity of becoming ac- 

 quainted with very many yellow-breasted chats when I was 

 a boy, I have found them frequently since and they almost 

 always Hve in low brush and tall weeds. The thicker the 

 brush and the more difiicult for a human to get through the 

 better they are pleased. Nesting as they do in places that 



