EASTERN YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT 593 



corded. These 11 birds each had from 6 to 10 phrases in their song, 

 averaging about 7. Only one bird had 10 phrases; of these 5 were 

 single notes, 3 being whistles, 1 harsh, and 1 like a note on an organ; 

 2 other phrases were of several notes repeated in even time, one whis- 

 tled, the other very harsh; the other 3 were long series of notes, re- 

 tarded at the end, two of them whistled but on different pitches, the 

 other like a long rattle. I recorded the singing of this bird, and the 

 order of phrases, as it sang 48 phrases. There was great variety in 

 the arrangement. One phrase was used 11 times, another 10, while 

 2 other phrases were sung only once, and the others from 2 to 8 times 

 each. 



"Not only is the song unusual, but also the manner of singing, for 

 the bird frequently flies from one bush to another while singing, 

 flapping its wings up and down and pumping its tail, with its legs 

 dangling, the line of flight being exceedingly jerky. 



"This bird is reported to imitate other birds. I have never heard 

 any thing I believed was an actual imitation, but there are often sounds 

 that suggest the sounds of other birds. I recorded one such as 'like 

 the chuck of a robin,' and another as 'like a note of the yellow-throated 

 vireo,' but I did not consider them to be imitations. 



"The chat sings from the time of its arrival in spring until about 

 the third week in July, but I have too few observations to give average 

 dates of cessation." 



The yellow-breasted chat, according to Albert R. Brand (1938), has 

 the lowest-pitched voice of any of the warbler family, its highest note 

 being but little above the average frequency of all passerine song ; he 

 recorded the highest note as having a frequency of 4,400 vibrations per 

 second, the lowest 1,275 (the lowest of all but the starling and the cat- 

 bird), and the approximate mean 2,600 vibrations per second (lower 

 than all but three or four others) . 



Several observers have classed the chat as a mimic, and it certainly 

 gives that impression, but its own vocabulary is so extensive and 

 varied that perhaps it is only an impression ; it does not need to learn 

 much from others. 



It is a most versatile vocalist and a most persistent singer at times ; 

 its voice may be heard at any hour of the day or night, especially on 

 moonlit nights. To try to express its varied notes in syllables is 

 almost hopeless. Mr. Forbush (1929) suggests the following: 

 "C'-r-r-r-r-r, loArr, that''s it, chee, quach, cluch, yit-yit-yit, note hit it, 

 tr-r-r-r, when, caio,caw, cut,cut, tea-hoy, toho, who, mew, mew, and so 

 on till you are tired of listening." Dr. Witmer Stone (1937) heard one 

 give a rapid call like that of a kingfisher. "One singing from inside 

 a wild cherry bush had a trill like that of a tree toad, a pheu, pheu, 

 call like a Greater Yellow-legs, and a strange note resembling a dis 



