THE OOLOOI8T 



71 



ing much like the scolding calls of the 

 Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos. 

 c June 4. Further observations on the 

 abits of the Yellow-breasted Chat dis- 

 lose the fact that it possesses a larger 

 epertoire of notes and calls than I 

 ver imagined. In a locality where 

 ob-whites were frequently calling, I 

 "feard the Chats utter calls closely imi- 

 ative of the full whistling of the well- 

 cnown game bird. In the same local- 

 ity the chats uttered calls much like 

 the cries of the Blue Jay. Lately I 

 heard a Chat imitating the notes of 

 a Towhee, both birds being in the 

 range of vision in positions where I 

 could not mistake the calls and auth- 

 ors, and repeatedly the so-called yel- 

 low-breasted mocker gave evidence of 

 his power by whistling in imitation of 

 the Towhee. 



Hidden in the covert, I recently 

 watched a Chat as he sat and gave ut- 

 terance to his peculiar calls. He was 

 in a low tree out in the full sunshine. 

 Throwing his head upward, his rich 

 yellow throat swelled as he emitted 

 the single whistle with which he be- 

 gins his regular performance. Then 

 he turned his head quizzically to one 

 side and uttered a series of sharp cack- 

 les. Turning to the other side, he 

 gurgled a few harsh gutterals in a 

 tone thus far unused; and then he 

 continued in a round of calls and 

 cacklings peculiar to the Chat vocab- 

 ulary. I have no hesitation in pro- 

 nouncing this Chat a mocker of abil- 

 ity, not surpassed in this region by 

 the Catbird, though the latter is class- 

 ed with our best mimics. 



Ordinarily it is difficult to observe 

 the movements and antics of this Chat, 

 for bushes and coverts are its favor- 

 ite resorts. As the would-be observ- 

 er penetrates the copse in hopes of 

 surprising the hidden whistlers, they 

 recede in the most approved will-of- 

 the-wisp fashion. They are very lo- 



quacious near the spots where their 

 mates are sitting on their eggs. Near 

 a nest which I visited lately was a 

 pile of sawed and split wood, towering 

 several feet above the bushes, and 

 this eminence was a tavored site for 

 the male to alight and utter his med- 

 leys. When he perceived that he was 

 the subject of observation, however, 

 he would drop into the covert with 

 loosely hanging wings and tail, and 

 there continue his sputterings and 

 ejaculations. 



July 14. The Chipping Sparrow 

 frequently employs the hour between 

 sunset and dusk in feeding. This 

 evening I watched a family of four 

 gleaning along a railroad track over- 

 grown with weeds, principally pepper- 

 grass. The Sparrows worked leisure- 

 ly along the track, loitering under the 

 pepper-grass herbs to pick up fallen 

 seeds. At times one of the gleaners 

 would hop into the shrub, apparently 

 to give it a gentle shake, after which 

 action he would hop down and pick up 

 the results. At other times one of the 

 sparrows would flutter upward, grasp 

 a branch or seed-pod, and then drop 

 back to the ground. Sometimes after 

 pulling down a branch they would hold 

 it down with the feet and peck away 

 the coveted seeds. 



July 21. Today in the stillness and 

 heat of the noontide my attention was 

 attracted by a low, sweet crooning in 

 the foliage of a nearby tree. The 

 music had all the qualities of the Rose- 

 breasted Grosbeak's, but the subdued 

 execution and continuous production 

 left me in doubt as to the author. It 

 was like the crooning of the Catbird in 

 mid-winter, or the gentle effusions of 

 the Warbling Vireo in a late summer 

 afternoon, or the feeble pulsings of 

 the ebbing tide of Oriole music in 

 early July, or a Robin's poetic whisp- 

 erings; but so rare at this season, so 

 tender in quality, so appropriately in 



