170 



CITIZEN BIRD 



" This is what enables him to play tricks on birds, 

 House People, and various other animals. He will 

 whistle until he has set a dog tearing through the 

 bushes to find his supposed master. Another time he 

 will give such a soft strange series of notes that 

 a bird-lover will immediatelv begin to search through a 



tangle of briers, after what 

 strange bird. Then ] 



he imagines to be a 

 indulges in a fit of 

 merriment at his 

 own jokes — ' chatter- 

 chatter - chat - chat - chat- 

 chat - chat ' he says, 

 calling his own name 

 as he slips away 

 to the security of 

 a catbrier or bar- 

 l)erry bush. Large 

 and vigorous and 

 strong of beak as 

 he is, this practi- 

 cal joker is wise, 

 and does not often 

 show his con- 

 spicuous yellow breast in open places. 



'^ Some day in the nesting season you may see the 

 Chat fly up in the air and hear him sing his courting 

 song, which is very sweet, different from all his jests 

 and jeers. You will say, if you are near enough to 

 take a long look — 'Why, that Chat has forgotten to 

 fold up liis legs, they are hanging straight down.' He 

 has not forgotten, however ; it is merely one of his odd 

 habits at this season to cut all sorts of capers in the 



Yellow-breasted Chat. 



