1 20 Birds of Oregon and Washington 



Some day this strange bird will reveal himself 

 to you, not alone in his wild, varied and chatter- 

 ing song, but in his really funny antics upon the 

 wing. He is, of all the birds that we shall 

 know, "the funny bird." He sings a rollicking, 

 imitative and frolicsome song, running through 

 how many keys and forms, only those know who 

 have heard him. Some have tried to write down 

 the medley of the Yellow-breasted Chat of the 

 East, which is very like our own in song and 

 habits. Mr. Burroughs has expressed it thus : 

 " Now he barks like a puppy, then quacks like a 

 duck, then rattles like a kingfisher, then squalls, 

 like a fox, then caws like a crow, then mews like 

 a cat ... C-r-r-r-r-r-whrr that's it chee 

 quack, cluck, yit-yit-yit now hit it tr-r-r 

 when caw caw cut, cut tea-boy, who, 

 who mew, mew.'' 



His actions befit his song ; often upon the 

 wing, a little way above the thicket, he will 

 tumble in air, dropping his legs, flapping his 

 wings, and all the time chattering his rollicking 

 song. 



When you see him in the bushes, his manner 

 is that of "a mischief." He looks as if he 



