342 BULLETIN 195, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



"Catbirds can utter uncatbirdlike notes on occasions of excitement 

 as well as calm. On May 29, 1916, in West Roxbury, I heard from a 

 thicket a curious harsh note, that I did not recognize, repeated several 

 times. It suggested a jay's scream with a little of a downy- wood- 

 pecker quality. This was followed by a sweet warbled phrase 

 given three or four times; then came the strange harsh notes again. 

 My first thought was of a chat, and I was surprised when I found the 

 notes came from a catbird that was flying about closely pursued by 

 another. The birds kept up the performance for 10 minutes or so 

 before I left them. The singer discontinued the harsh notes soon but 

 kept up the sweet warbling notes and gave from time to time other 

 song notes of a catbird character besides the mew, the chatter, and the 

 sharp chip. The song notes were uttered disconnectedly, except that 

 one might be given two or three times in succession, and were fre- 

 quently given on the wing, perhaps oftener on the wing than when 

 the bird was alighted. The pursuing bird would sometimes almost 

 strike the singer and alight beyond him and sometimes would stop 

 5 or 10 feet short of him. This one was silent, but once when it alighted 

 near me I saw it opening and shutting its bill in a threatening manner. 

 The two were on the wing most of the time, the stops being very short, 

 and they dodged hither and thither among the branches, flying pretty 

 swiftly, but kept inside an area perhaps 30 or 40 feet square. Whether 

 this was courtship or territory defense I cannot say, but it evidently was 

 not a combat a outrance. 



"Again, on May 12, 1938, in West Eoxbury, at about 8 p. m. with 

 the temperature about 45° F., I heard a strange medley of squawks 

 and discordant cries interspersed with repetitions of high-pitched 

 phrases of a more melodious character coming from a wet spot in 

 the woods. Again I could think only of the yellow-breasted chat, 

 but again I found that catbirds were responsible. In this case there 

 were three or four of them flitting about low in the trees and 

 bushes. After keeping up this performance for some time, during 

 which not a single one of the notes suggested a catbird to me, they 

 separated, and at least two and I think three of them sang normal 

 songs for a short time. The strange notes were various in charac- 

 ter, some having a jarring quality. The high-pitched notes were 

 usually, if not always, repetitions of a single phrase over and over 

 again." 



The catbird sings from the time of its arrival in spring until 

 late in July or August but with decreasing regularity toward the 

 end of this period. According to A. A. Saunders (MS.), "some 

 individuals cease singing about the time the last ^gg is laid, and do 

 not resume singing again till the young are out of the nest several 

 days." Saunders says further : 



