170 



CITIZEN BIRD 



" This is what enables him to phay 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 2'ive such a soft strangle series of notes that 

 a bird-lover will immediatel}' begin to search through a 



he imaoines to be a 



tanofle of briers, after what 



strange 



bird. 



indulges in a fit of 



merrnnent at his 

 ^j^P ^'A^ /' '"/# 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- 

 berry bush. Large 

 and vigorous and 

 strong of beak as 

 he is, this practi- 

 cal joker is wdse, 

 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 Cliat has forgotten to 

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

 has not forgotten, ho^^'ever ; it is merely one of his odd 

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



Yellow-breasted Chat 



